Between Two Evils
by All Hail King Scar
Summary: The hyenas killed Scar. Or at least they thought they did. Three years after the battle at Pride Rock, Shenzi and her clan are finally thrown completely out of the Pridelands, and are forced to cross the desert. But when the hyena trio finds Scar again, who has survived the fires, what's the outcome? And what will Scar do to them? This is the sequel to 'Scars of Redemption'
1. Chapter 1

**I'm back at this fanfic deal! Man, I love writing these! Anyhow, this a sequel to two of my stories, 'Scars of Redemption, and 'One Last Try.' The events of both shall be explored further here. But if you didn't read any of them, it doesn't matter, because anything relevant shall be explained here.**

 **If you see this: ()()()()()()()() it means the POV is changing. Don't worry, I'll say to whose POV it's changing to. Fun facts: Shenzi's name means pagan or uncouth, Banzai's name means brash, Ed's name means…. Well…. Ed, Macho's name (pronounced Maco, don't pronounce the ch sound) means vigilant or loyal, and Nafasi's name means chance. All these are in swahili.**

 **Well, on with the fanfic! And please, do leave this humble author a review**.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()

 **Banzai's POV**

Banzai lay in the sand, bleeding out.

They had been walking in the desert for hours, keeping on the tracks of the rest of their clan. It was him and eleven other hyenas, and all of them were tired. Of course, it really wasn't their fault that they were all so exhausted. It was the blasted lion's fault.

Earlier, the hyenas had attempted to flee to the desert, in an attempt to get out of the Pridelands. However, Simba had caught them, and it had come down to fighting. The lions had won, and left the hyenas bruised, battered, and bleeding.

The hyenas with pups had run ahead, leaving the fighting force behind to slow down the lions. Now, they were trying to catch up to the rest of their clan, and they weren't yet in sight.

"Hey Shenzi…. Banzai's lying down!"

"What!?" Came an annoyed voice from off to his side. Banzai groaned.

"Let me rest for just a few minutes!" He pleaded, with his eyes shut against the desert sun.

"Banzai, I don't care if you're _dying over there_ , you're going to get up right now and continue on!" Yelled Shenzi.

"Can't you see I've probably lost half the blood in my entire body!" Retorted Banzai, as he shakily stood up. He looked back down where he was lying, and saw the red splotches on the sand. As he watched, two more drops fell from his neck and shoulders. Ugh.

"Gee Banzai, can I? How about you watch your mouth!" Swore Shenzi, her voice turning icy. Banzai froze. Oops…. Banzai mentally hit himself on the head. He had to watch what he said!

He knew Shenzi didn't like it when he referred to her… _Disability_.

Banzai sighed, and started walking at the tail end of the group of hyenas. Of the fifteen that stood and fought, only ten remained. Only two thirds of their fighting force, which was small in the first place. If they encountered any more trouble, they were screwed in a thousand ways.

And all because of those damned lions.

The sun glared down as the trudged over more dunes. Banzai was sweating, and so was everyone else. Every now and then, he glanced back the way they came, and saw the red line that was trailing behind them. Of course, he didn't want to say anything, or to suggest that they should rest. Shenzi had said that they were going to move, and so they were.

And anyways, Maumbu was busy enough with other hyenas who were hurt more than himself. Maumbu had lucked out in the battle, and had only received one blow to the head. Enough to knock him unconscious, but not enough to be permanent.

Maumbu was their clan healer. It was he that dealt with injuries and ailments. And now, he had to work while they trudged over the sand. Not that there was much he could do. He had none of his supplies, but even so, he could still evaluate the severity of certain things.

"Banzai, you need to hurry up!"

Banzai looked up and saw Macho ( **A/N remember, it's pronounced Maco. DON'T say the ch sound**.) trotting back to him.

"Hey Macho." Replied Banzai.

"Well, were you listening?" Said Macho, as he sidled up next to Banzai.

"I was." Banzai grunted.

"You're not speeding up." Replied Macho, his eyebrows cocked.

"Jeez Macho, leave me be alright?" Said Banzai, annoyed.

"I can't just let you be Banzai, you're walking way too slowly."

"Hey wait a minute…. How about instead you leave me _bleed_ **!** Hah, get it?" Chuckled Banzai, as he laughed at his own horrible pun. As he shook from laughter, more blood dripped down onto the sand.

"Well, now we know where hyenas get the reputation of being jokesters." Replied Macho.

"Oh come on Macho, you know it's just you who doesn't laugh. You're too serious! Anywhere else that would bring down the house!" Said Banzai, as his grin faded.

"It isn't the most appropriate pun at the moment." Admonished Macho.

"Phoey, it may not be, but this morbid mood is killing me. That, and these gashes." Banzai gestured toward the claw marks on his neck and shoulders.

"Huh! I got hit worse. Look at these." Macho gesture toward the long cuts covering his side and head.

"That is pretty bad." Replied Banzai, as he turned back to looking in front.

"Of course, Maumbu over there is scurrying around, doing his best to help who he can." Said Macho, as he looked up in front of their pack. Maumbu was talking hurriedly to Fahama, who gestured toward her own wounds. Banzai knew Fahama was hurt more than most of the hyenas here. Currently, she was limping, and had cuts on her neck, face, and legs.

And yet, somehow, she was still making better time than Banzai.

Oh well.

"That he may be, but least he has his head screwed on straight. Lately, I think a lot of us have come close to snapping. And one of those hyenas is me." Said Banzai, as he trudged on forward.

"I'd rather not think about the ones who died. Let's just focus on those who made it. Namely, finding the rest of the clan. Recovering our pups is step one to surviving this madness." Replied Macho.

"So it is." Said Banzai, as he nodded.

They kept walking in silence. The only thing that broke the monotony was the occasional gasp of pain from another hyena. Banzai occasionally glanced at Macho, out of boredom. He sighed. How big was this desert anyways? As he stared out across the sea of sand, it seemed to stretch out forever.

Which was just great. The last thing they needed was to die of heat out in the middle of the scorching sand. Food was an issue too. Many of them hadn't eaten for days, and the desert would make it near impossible to get more. Conditions here were actually worse than the Elephant Graveyard, which Banzai had once figured impossible.

At least there was shade amongst the skulls. Here, there was no cover against the elements. Hopefully, it didn't rain either. The cool would be welcome, but the resulting flood would not be.

"Hey Macho, do ya think Shenzi's going to stop sometime soon? I mean, at least for _herself_?" He asked Macho.

"You know Shenzi won't stop. It isn't in her nature to give up. And she most certainly isn't going to stop to give herself a rest. Despite her *ahem* _infirmity_ , she's still the strongest one here. If anyone is going to get us through this mess, it's going to be her." Said Macho, reassuringly.

"Yeah, she isn't a slouch, that's for sure. And pretty beautiful too." Added Banzai, as he grinned.

"She's certainly the top pick." Replied Macho, as Banzai stared wistfully at Shenzi, who was at the front of the pack. Banzai dearly hoped Shenzi could consent to him feeling this way about her. He would always love Shenzi, he had since puphood.

Then, Ed came bouncing back towards Banzai and Macho, with his trademark giggle in full swing. The gashes on his chest didn't dampen his mood. He skidded to a halt next to them, and started pointing up front, his tongue swishing back and forth.

"What is it Ed?" Asked Banzai, as he tried to look at where Ed was pointing.

"Hey…. I think that's them!" Shouted Macho, as he perked up. Banzai squinted, and saw a mass of grey animals sitting on one of the dunes. That was probably the rest of the clan!

"Hey guys! There they are!" Yelled Banzai, as a smile spread across his face. Cheers of jubilation erupted from the crowd. Finally, some good news! Banzai ran up to the front, new energy filling his limbs.

Maybe things would turn out fine after all.

()()()()()()()()()(()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

 **Scar's POV**

Many miles away, Scar looked down at the ground, with a scowl on his face.

At his paws, there lay three small lumps of dirt.

He was in a small clearing in the woods, a clearing that he had created himself for this very purpose. He had dug up the trees in this area, and clawed the grass and foliage away until there was nothing but smooth dirt on the forest floor. The reason he had chosen this spot was because there was a small pool of water in the center of the clearing, fed by a spring.

He had been sitting here for the past hour, staying perfectly still. Hardly a sound perpetrated his silent vigil save the bubbling of the spring. It was night, and up above the stars shone coldly down.

He set his paw on the lump closest to him.

"It's your birthday today." He whispered.

Then he started crying.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

 **First chapter in! Leave a review ya'll! Anyways, the hyenas trek across the desert. They've reached the rest of their clan. But they aren't out of the woods yet. There's still the vast ocean of sand ahead of them. Will they survive?**

 **And as for Scar…. Well, I feel sorry for him. More on him in the next chapter obviously.**

 ***Ahem,* it's a Fanfiction crime to like a story but not review. Constructive criticism accepted. No flaming!**


	2. Dead Inside and Old Friends

**I'm back at this fanfic deal! Man, I love writing these! Anyhow, this a sequel to two of my stories, 'Scars of Redemption, and 'One Last Try.' The events of both shall be explored further here. But if you didn't read any of them, it doesn't matter, because anything relevant shall be explained here.**

 **If you see this: ()()()()()()()() it means the POV is changing. Don't worry, I'll say to whose POV it's changing to. Fun facts: Shenzi's name means pagan or uncouth, Banzai's name means brash, Ed's name means…. Well…. Ed, Macho's name (pronounced Maco, don't pronounce the ch sound) means vigilant or loyal, and Nafasi's name means chance. All these are in swahili.**

 **Well, on with the fanfic! And please, do leave this humble author a review.**

)()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(

 **Scar's POV**

Scar wiped away his tears, tears he hadn't meant to shed.

Crying was weak, something only emotional lions did when they couldn't get a grip on themselves. It was not something that he did, for he, Scar was in control of himself! _He_ was in control of his own emotions, he was in control of himself! And he did not _cry_.

And yet, he just had.

Scowling, Scar tried not to think about why he was here. Unfortunately for him, how could he not think about that? After all, it was why he was here! How fucking ironic.

"Scar, what are you doing back here again?" Demanded a voice from behind him. Scar replied without turning around.

"Hello Nafasi." He said.

"You spend too much time up here! It's not healthy for you." She replied.

"Nafasi, I can assure you, the time I spend here is not affecting my mental health." He said, still scowling. Nafasi sighed. Scar turned around to face her, not wanting to upset her.

Nafasi was a very small lioness. She was a dark orange, and about half of Scar's own size.

She was also Scar's mate.

Three years ago, Scar's reign at Pride Rock ended. In hindsight, things hadn't been going very well, what with the drought and all, but at the time he had refused to see what was plainly in front of him. In the end, that had cost him the crown. When his blasted nephew Simba had returned, they had fought, and somehow, _somehow_ Simba had beaten him! And then, he had been thrown to the hyena's jaws.

And the hyenas were traitorous, every last one of them. Shenzi herself had ordered his demise. They cut and bit him all over his body, then, when the fires flared, they left him to be burned. But against all odds, Scar managed to survive the flames. Nearly dead, he had dragged himself away from Pride Rock, and to the river that marked the border.

Once there, he had collapsed into the waters, too weak to continue. He had floated down the river, unconscious, until Nafasi had seen him, and fished him out of the river. She had nursed him back to health, and Scar, recognizing that he could never return to the Pridelands, had decided to devote his efforts elsewhere. In this case, love.

In his eyes, Nafasi was the most beautiful lioness he had ever seen. She was also sweet, kind, and caring. Currently, she was seven years old, and still in her prime. Scar was a full three years older than her. He knew he was starting to get old, but he wasn't too old to have cubs. He still had a few years in him.

"Scar, if you dwell on the past too much, it'll consume you. It's always better to move on!" Urged Nafasi.

"Nafasi, I am fine!" Growled Scar, baring his teeth.

"Scar, stop that! You know what happens when you get angry!" Said Nafasi quickly, as she took a step back from him. Scar immediately softened up, realizing his mistake.

"I'm…. I'm sorry Nafasi, you're right, I shouldn't get angry." He sighed. "It's just that…. Why did they have to die?" Scar's expression turned to one of quiet sadness, as he gestured toward the little mounds they were standing next to.

"I don't know Scar, I really don't. But there's nothing I can do if the cub is stillborn."

"Those two were stillborn." Said Scar, as he gestured towards the dirt lumps farthest from him. "But he wasn't." Scar then set his paw back on the mound nearest to him.

"He caught a cold too early in life. I couldn't do anything about that either. And neither could you. Scar, none of these were your fault. Don't obsess over it."

"He almost made it. Almost." Scar whispered, as he fought back more tears. This cub's name was Jelani. He had almost made it. He was a week old when he died. Some sickness had gotten him. Some blasted, _fucking_ sickness had gotten him, when he was only a week old!

Life was so fucking unfair.

"But he didn't. Scar, it's nice that you created this spot just for the cubs. In fact, I think it's sweet. But you really have to stop spending all your time up here. Focus on the present. I have another cub on the way, only weeks away. This time, it will work!" Pleaded Nafasi.

"I don't want to dig a fourth grave." Replied Scar quietly.

"Maybe you won't have to this time. You don't know if you don't try."

"It's just that….. Nafasi, what if the reason the cubs are dying is because it's some sort of punishment from the kings of the past? You know I've done some…. Horrible things…. In the past. What if this is their punishment for my sins? Because if it is, will the fourth cub survive?" Said Scar.

"I don't think it works that way Scar. Plus, I think your punishment at Pride Rock was enough to satisfy any stupid kings who float in the sky."

"Nafai, that was the hyenas who carried that one out. That was their revenge, not a punishment. And the worst part is, lions from my old pride prayed to the great kings of the past when they were in trouble. But if it is they who are punishing me, there's no way I can pray to them, the bastards they are." Worried Scar.

"Scar, don't think that way. The cubs dying were just unfortunate accidents, not divine punishment. Just be positive, there's no way our fourth cub could die." Said Nafasi, comfortingly.

"I hope so Nafasi, I hope so." Replied Scar, as he got up, and walked out of the clearing.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()

 **Shenzi's POV**

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

(Flashback)

 _Shenzi dragged herself to the geyser, and stared down at it's steaming depths. She clenched her stomach in pain, doing her best to ignore the pain and exhaustion. She felt almost no strength in her limbs, and it was all she could to keep herself from collapsing as she looked down into the geyser._

 _With amazement, she saw floating in the bubbling green water, one of the lizards Banzai had caught earlier that day! Greedily, she hooked it with her claws. Banzai or Ed must have accidentally dropped it in as they were carrying them to the rest of the hyenas. She tore the skin off, seeing the soft flesh beneath. She was just about to take a bite when she realized where she had found it. The lizard had been floating in one of the green geysers! The water in those geysers was poisoned! Groaning, Shenzi started to throw it away. But, she couldn't get herself to do it! She was starving!_

" _Well, I suppose a small bite couldn't hurt,,," she mumbled to herself. She took a little bite of the lizard and swallowed. It was heavenly! She quickly took another bite of the lizard. And another, and another, until the lizard was nothing but skin and bones. She licked the bones and skin, trying her best to get every last bit of meat on the reptile. Once she was done, she got up, feeling partially satisfied. She still felt hungry, but it was once again bearable. Staring at the lizards remains, her eyes wandered over to the geyser she had fished it from. Oh no! She had just eaten an animal that was floating in the geysers water! There was some sort of poison in it, she knew, for any time someone had drank the water, they had died soon after._

 _But, she hadn't really drank it had she? No, she hadn't. She might have sipped a little in along with the lizard, but that was a small amount. Perhaps she was alright, she reasoned. Yeah, she was probably fine. No reason to worry. Shenzi smirked as she left the cave in which she was standing. She had no reason to worry._

 _She had barely made it five paces from the mouth of the cave before she started feeling sick._

(End of flashback)

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Shenzi was blind.

A very disruptive infirmity, to be sure. Years of starvation and dehydration had pushed her to it. A few months ago, she had been so thirsty, that she had drank water from a geyser she knew was poisonous. Unfortunately, it had cost her her sight.

However, she had refused to step down from her position as the leader of the clan. And even without sight, she had still beaten the challengers that had thought they could beat her while she was blind. With help from Banzai, she retained her position.

The loss of her sight had initially jarred Shenzi into a sort of shock. However, that shock had forced her to realize just how screwed the hyenas were while they lived in the Graveyard. So she had decided to leave the Graveyard, and make an attempt to cross the desert. If the clan survived the crossing, it would be the best decision she had ever made. If they all died from the elements, well….. At least she would be the last Matriarch. Morbidly interesting, to say the least.

However, now she was greeting old friends.

"Matriarch Shenzi!"

"Hello Hasina." Shenzi smiled. "I recognize your voice."

"How did you get here? We thought you died!" Gushed Hasina worriedly.

"It'll take more than an upstart lion to get me killed." Assured Shenzi. "They did a number on me though."

Hasina was Shenzi's friend, and a loyal one too. For a female hyena, she was actually rather weak, unlike most of the females of their species. However, she made up for it through effort, and persistence. She always referred to Shenzi as 'Matriarch Shenzi' calling her by her proper title every time they spoke, despite Shenzi's insistence.

" Matriarch Shenzi…. What happened to your leg?" Asked Hasina. Shenzi sighed, and out of habit glanced back at her crippled rear appendage. Her left back leg was no longer working, having been crushed by a lion only a few days ago. She couldn't even move it. Luckily for her, walking on three legs wasn't all that hard, as long as she had somebody to lean onto while she walked.

She was well practiced at leaning onto another hyena. It was the easiest way to travel quickly since she couldn't see. For the most part, she relied on Ed and Banzai to do that for her. They were dependable, since she had known them since they were pups.

Banzai mostly volunteered to do it, and Shenzi had a rather good idea of why. Although, to perhaps her own surprise, she didn't mind it. After all, if Banzai still found her desirable even after two crippling injuries, it was a good thing. It meant he wouldn't leave her side. Ever.

"My leg? Well, it was actually Simba that did it. The point is, it doesn't work anymore. Look, I'd rather not mention it in casual conversion. How about we discuss something a bit lighter?" Suggested Shenzi.

"Sorry Matriarch Shenzi. I didn't mean to upset you." Replied Hasina.

"It's not a problem. I'd just rather not talk about the sour things in my life. But anyways, where is your pup?" Asked Shenzi.

"My pup?" Said Hasina.

"Yeah, I can't hear him." Said Shenzi.

Oh, he's over there." Replied Hasina. Shenzi sighed, and waited patiently.

"Over where?"

"Oh! I'm sorry!, I'm sorry, I forgot just for a moment… Umm… He's off to your right, playing with the other pups. They're drawing shapes in the sand, taking advantage of how they're able to push around all the little grains." Answered Hasina.

"Are the pups having fun?" She asked.

"Well, they look like they are. Some of them are enthralled, watching what other pups draw. So far, different types of meat seem to be the theme."

"I'll bet." Replied Shenzi. Just then, she felt a little spray of sand hit her fur, and heard the sounds of someone skidding to a stop next to her. She turned her head towards the sound, and waited for the hyena to speak.

"Hey Shenzi!" Spoke Banzai, his tone of voice cheerful.

"Well, I'll leave the two of you alone then." Said Hasina, as she her voice became softer. Clearly, she was leaving.

"Cya Hasina!" Called Shenzi. Then, she turned towards Banzai's direction.

"Hey Banzai. What are you doing?" She asked.

"Alright Shenzi, I gotta ask you a question real quick." Said Banzai.

"It better be good." She replied. "Or it'll be a waste of my time."

"Alright then….. True or false, does nothing rhyme with the word orange?" Banzai sounded gleeful, the way he normally sounded whenever he said a bad pun. However, However, there were no puns in that sentence. Therefore, it had to be something else….

"False. The word nothing does not rhyme with orange." Replied Shenzi, smirking.

"What! How'd you guess?" Said Banzai, surprised.

"Well obviously you were trying to pull something. If I took that sentence in it's normal context, I'd have gotten it wrong. So I took it literally. Plus, I heard Fahama trick you with that same thing over there." Shenzi flicked her ears in the area she referenced.

"How did you hear that?" Asked Banzai. "We were way over there!"

"When you lose your sight, other senses get strengthened. Like smell, and hearing. And even my sixth sense."

"Your sixth sense?" Wondered Banzai.

"Yeah. The one that tells me when you're being a moron!" Shenzi then quickly swiped in Banzai's direction, making contact with his head. She felt her paw clock him, and she heard the resulting whining.

"Ow! Geez, what the hell was that for?" Complained Banzai.

"I told you that you were being a moron." Explained Shenzi, grinning.

"Well now I can add headache to my list of injuries." Grunted Banzai.

"Phooey, at least scratches heal. The shit I got is permanent." Shenzi replied.

Then, Banzai's stomach gave an almighty growl. He was clearly rather hungry. As was Shenzi. She hadn't eaten in the last twenty four hours, and she doubted anyone else was better off. Which was a problem, since there certainly wasn't any food in the desert.

"Well, I think we've dawdled here long enough. It's time we start moving, or we'll never reach the end of the desert." Declared Shenzi. "Banzai, is there a dune here on which I can stand on to speak to the clan?"

"Yeah, we're standing at the top now actually." Replied Banzai.

"Oh. We are. Well, I guess that works. Now then….. Which way should I face?" Shenzi dropped her voice a little for the latter part of the sentence. Even after a few weeks of getting used to the blindness, she still was uncomfortable for how much she had to rely on other hyenas. She hated it, since she was much more used to being independent.

"I'll adjust ya!" Said Banzai cheerfully, as she felt him put a paw on her shoulder. He pushed her to the left a little, and turned her counterclockwise a few degrees. "There you go. Now just yell, and they'll quiet down." Shenzi cleared her throat, reading herself.

"Everyone, listen to me!" She shouted, uttering the first part of her speech. It took a few seconds, but eventually the assembled hyenas hushed up, ready to hear what their Matriarch had to say.

"It's great that we've managed to reunite our clan! And it's even better that the pups are safe! But even now, in our jubilation, we are faced with a problem. Surrounding us is the desert, one that no one has ever dared to cross. However, in our unfortunate lot, we now _have_ to cross it! We may have escaped the lions and their claws, but if we idle here, there won't be any escaping the elements! We have to start walking, to make our way across the dunes. Hopefully, at the journey's end, we'll find a new home! One that is prosperous, and devoid of competition! But we won't get there if we don't start walking. We have to move now, or we'll miss our chance. So then, form up into a tight pack, and await further orders."

Below her, Shenzi heard the dozens of paw drag on the sand, as they did as they were told. Sighing, she turned towards Banzai.

"Need to lean on me?" Asked the gruff hyena.

Yeah. I guess I do." She replied.

As the harsh desert wind blew through her fur, Shenzi stepped through the sand, limping forward. She knew that if they made it, they were saved. But if they didn't, they would all die, starving and dehydrated, in the middle of a nameless, barren wasteland.

She dearly hoped it they made it.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()()()

 **They're off! Will they make it through this terrible trial, or will they meet their doom in one of the worst places to die. I mean, I guess the answer is obvious. But I gotta create SOME intrigue!**

 **And as for Scar, all of his cubbies have died so far. It's sad. But Nafasi has a fourth one on the way!**

 **And don't worry, both of these groups are going to meet each other here soon. And when they do…..well, It'll be fun to write about.**

 **Well, it's a fanfiction crime to be following a story but not review! Constructive criticism accepted. No flaming!**


	3. Swimming and Recollection

**Yahoooo! I'm back at this fanfic deal. Man, I love writing these! Anyhow, this is technically a sequel to one of my other stories, called One Last Try. A lot of you wanted a sequel for it so here it is. But I can assure you, if you never read that, you don't need it to be able to understand what's going on here. I'm not going to lean too heavily on this story's predecessor.**

 **If you see this: ()()()()()()()() it means the POV is changing. Don't worry, I'll say to whose POV it's changing to. Fun facts: Shenzi's name means pagan or uncouth, Banzai's name means brash, Ed's name means…. Well…. Ed, and Macho's name (pronounced Maco, don't pronounce the ch sound) means vigilant or loyal. All these are in swahilli.**

 **Well, on with the fanfic! And please, do leave this humble author a review.**

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()

Shenzi's POV

Three days.

That was how long it took to cross the desert.

Shenzi had once heard that if an animal went for longer than four days without water, they would die of dehydration. If that was true, many of them had just _barely_ jumped the gun. Most of the hyenas hadn't drank before they left, and so had come dangerously close to dying.

However, at the edge of the accursed wasteland was a river. It marked the border of the desert, and it allowed the hyenas to get the drink they so desperately needed.

"Ha ha! I've never been so happy to see water in my life!" Yelled Banzai, as he lapped in the refreshing liquid. Shenzi stood next to him, also drinking from the river. Her paws were wet, but she didn't mind it at all. Over the course of the past couple of days, sand had been blown into her fur, and into places where sand normally didn't go.

It would be nice to have a wash.

Shenzi stepped into the river, feeling the water flow around her. She lied down, and rolled around in the shallow depths, enjoying how relaxing it was. She could feel the stress flow out of her muscles, and it felt good. She sighed, allowing herself to smile. Truly, they had made it.

Then, she felt a splash of water wash over her. She cringed, not ready to get her head wet.

"Oops! Sorry Shenzi." Apologized Banzai. Shenzi turned to face his voice, a bit perturbed.

"Come on Banzai! Couldn't you see I was trying to relax!" She complained.

"Sorry Shenzi! But this water feels so good! I just had to cannonball into it!" He replied.

"Huh! You couldn't wade into it like a civilized animal!" Griped Shenzi. Even after living with Banzai ever since puphood, she was still sometimes astounded by his complete lack of awareness. Sometimes, he would run into situations without thinking, oftentimes with consequences. Even so, those consequences were sometimes amusing. Like when he got cactus thorns stuck on his butt.

"Come on, Shenzi, we're hyenas! We aren't prissy little meerkats!"

"Sometimes, I think that's the problem. You've got no brains on you." She replied.

"Meerkats don't either. Every time we raid one of their colonies, they run around like mad, bumping into each other!" Retorted Banzai.

"In that case, I can see the resemblance." Replied Shenzi, grinning.

"Hey! Wait a minute…" Stuttered Banzai, as he tried to wrap his head around the insult. However, Shenzi had already pushed away from the shallow part of the river, and had started to swim around in the deeper part. Sighing happily, Shenzi paddled against the slow current. Swimming was much easier than walking if you were missing the use of one of your legs.

They had _made it!_

 _They had survived!_

"Come out here Banzai!" Called Shenzi, as she set her paws down onto the sand below. She figured she needed someone to tell her if she was drifting too far from the shore.

"Coming!" Came the response. Shenzi heard more splashes, and pretty soon, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.

"Hello." She replied.

"I brought Ed out here too! Although, I don't think he's quite grasped the concept of swimming quite just yet." Said Banzai.

"Really? How so?" She asked.

"Well, he's underwater right now." Said Banzai.

"What! For how long? Haul him up already!"

"Well, I'm trying to see how long he's going to be able to hold his breath…" Snickered Banzai.

"You'll know how long when he floats back up belly side up." Replied Shenzi flatly. "Now get him above the water!" She demanded.

"Alright alright…." He responded. Shenzi heard Banzai take a breath, and submerge himself. Little ripples splashed against her fur as she waited for him to come back up for air. Eventually, they resurfaced with bravado.

"Ta da! One Ed, as requested." Said Banzai smoothly, as he pushed Ed up against Shenzi. Ed spat out some of the water he had swallowed, and started giggling again, licking Shenzi.

"Gah! Get off me Ed!" Said Shenzi, as she pushed the slobbering hyena away from her. Ed simply let out some more raucous laughter, and kept giggling.

"You know, you couldn't tell by looking at him that he had just nearly drowned." Observed Banzai.

"I'll bet. That hyena's more vacant than an abandoned hotel." Added Shenzi.

"What's a hotel?" Asked Banzai.

"Never mind, it's not important." Shenzi replied. "Nothing's important right now. We can relax….. Nothing's trying to kill us."

"Yeah, first the Graveyard, then that flood, then those lions, then the desert, then the desert storms! The list is pretty long." Contemplated Banzai.

"No kidding." Grunted Shenzi.

"So…. Were you going for a swim?" Asked Banzai.

"I'm trying to. It's not so hard to do with only three legs. Just so long as you paddle. But I can't tell if I'm swimming off course. So just tell me if I'm drifting too far away, and I'll head back towards the sound of your voice." Said Shenzi.

"Sounds good to me." He replied. With another relaxed sigh, Shenzi pushed off away from the shallow part, letting the current pull her down the river a bit.

She would have closed her eyes to enhance the relaxing experience, but it would have been pointless.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Banzai's POV

Banzai watched Shenzi float off. He smiled, happy that Shenzi was happy. Truth be told, the last time he had seen Shenzi smile was three years ago, right before the battle at Pride Rock.

It had been awhile.

Next to him, Ed was spinning in the water, submerging and resurfacing every few seconds. Banzai was positive Ed had no idea what he was doing. Of course, he was always like this, so Banzai wasn't especially annoyed. He had gotten used to Ed's behavior.

Ed had been like this since puphood. Banzai and Shenzi were a year older than him, and had become his friends when no one else would. Ed was great for testing stuff, and would go along with almost anything they came up with.

"Hey! Banzai! Yelled a voice from the shore. Banzai looked to his left to see Macho standing there, along with Fahama.

Macho and Fahama were the clan's second in command, along with Banzai. The three of them formed Shenzi's council, and performed the duties that Shenzi could not, now that she was blind and crippled. Shenzi still had the last say in anything, but they had a lot of power when it came to what happened to the clan.

Fahama was a female hyena who looked a lot like Shenzi. She had the hair tufts on the front of her head, and several spots on her shoulders. She was still relatively young, but she was able, and she knew what she was doing. She was also much more lighthearted than Macho and Shenzi.

Macho was a serious hyena, who worked hard to get the job done. He and Banzai were the only males to have any sort of rank advantage over the females. Normally, every male was lower than every female. He and Macho had gotten lucky in that respect.

"Come out here if you want to talk." He replied, snickering as he wondered if they really would wade out in the river just to talk to him. To his mild surprise, Macho jumped in before Fahama.

"Okay Banzai, now why exactly did we have to come out here?" Asked Macho, once he reached Banzai's position. Fahama paddled up next to him.

"Yeah, why did we have to swim to ya? I'm still not exactly comfortable with swimming after that flood…" Added an irate Fahama.

"Well, I can't exactly speak for myself, but Shenzi told me to stay here to watch her. You know, in case she swims too far." He replied.

"Oh. Well, me and Fahama actually have a plan we'd like to discuss with you." Said Macho.

"You guys already came up with a plan? We just got here! I mean, it's only been a half hour, and you guys are already deciding on what to do next. Before Shenzi even gave it a thought! Man, that hasn't happened before." Said Banzai.

"We just like to be prepared. I believe Shenzi knows the value of that." Replied Fahama.

"Huh. She overworks herself, and she knows it. Anyways, what's the idea?" Asked Banzai.

"Well, now that we're here, we're at a sort of crossroads. I thought what we would do is send out search groups, in multiple directions. We would give them a time limit of three weeks, and when the groups return, they all report what they saw. And from that, we decide where we go to live." Suggested Fahama.

"Sounds foolproof to me. Now all we have to do is get Shenzi to approve it. Although if I were you guys, I'd leave her alone for a few more minutes. She's making up for three years of lost rest." Said Banzai, grinning.

"Right. Well, when she's done, come get us."

"Got it."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Scar's POV

Scar looked down at his reflection.

He realized it wasn't exactly something nice to look at.

Years ago, his only scar had been the one over his eye. Of course, that was the scar that had prompted him to change his name, so it was something rather important to him. The scar over his eye had also come with a more mental scar.

His own father had given it to him. Ahadi didn't like Scar when he was young, and he was still called Taka. Mufasa had always been Ahadi's favorite, Mufasa had gotten all of their father's attention. In Ahadi's eyes, Mufasa could do no wrong. If Mufasa caught a mouse as a cub, Ahadi would call the rest of the family over to congratulate him. But when Taka finally managed to catch his first mouse, he hadn't even dared to tell Ahadi, for fear of being accused of trying to one-up his brother. The best he could do was go show his mother what he had caught, and get congratulated by her.

Ahadi hadn't allowed Taka to get any friends either. Whenever he tried to approach the other cubs, Ahadi would be there, growling at him to leave. The worst part was, for the entirety of his adolescence he had had a crush on Sarafina. But he only had been able to talk to her a few times, a frustration he had once confided to Shenzi.

Due to his loneliness, his mother, Uru, had told him to explore. And so he had. Every day he went further and further away from Pride Rock. Until one day, he reached the border. And at the border, he saw the Elephant Graveyard.

He had of course entered it, enticed by the unexplored land. It hadn't taken him long to fall into a hole and trap himself. And as a little cub, he couldn't climb out of his predicament. That was when he met the hyenas.

Shenzi had found him, wailing for help. She had poked her head into the hole to find Taka, as he helplessly tried to climb out. She was younger than him, and still a pup. She also didn't really know what lions were yet, or else she wouldn't have helped him. Once she helped him out, they talked about things, and became friends after a while.

The hyena trio were Scar's first friends. They were the first ones other than his mother to listen to his problems, and to laugh at his jokes. And Scar laughed back at their jokes and listened to their problems. They were true companions.

They were also traitors.

After all the things he had given them, all the promises, all of those long years of supposed friendship, the hyenas had tried to kill him. And just because of a failed ploy to try to get Simba to halt his attack.

He truly did not know how he felt about the hyenas. On one hand, they had tried to kill him, and had left gashes all along his back, neck, and muzzle. There were scars from that day covering his body. On the other, the hyenas did have reason to do so, and that reason was the drought.

The drought had made the hyenas very hungry, and dissatisfied. And it was actually Scar's fault for not doing more to try to stop the drought. And he had tried to place the blame upon them. But even so, they still had turned on him really quickly, and it was _Shenzi_ that had ordered his demise.

His _childhood friend_ had ordered her clan to kill him.

Scar dug his claws into the sand, snarling.

()()()()()()()()()()()(()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

 **Chapturrrrrrr three! Welp, leave a review! Even you guests.**

 **Anyways, the hyenas are going to be heading out soon, sending search parties to try and find a new place for them to live. Gee, I wonder which way the trip will go? Will it possibly be further down the river, towards Scar's den?**

 **And as for Scar, he doesn't exactly seem happy when he thinks about the hyenas. Heh heh heh…**

 **It's a fanfiction crime to be following a story but not review! Constructive criticism accepted. No flaming!**


	4. Departure and Suspicion

**Yahoooo! I'm back at this fanfic deal. Man, I love writing these! Anyhow, this is technically a sequel to one of my other stories, called One Last Try. A lot of you wanted a sequel for it so here it is. But I can assure you, if you never read that, you don't need it to be able to understand what's going on here. I'm not going to lean too heavily on this story's predecessor.**

 **If you see this: ()()()()()()()() it means the POV is changing. Don't worry, I'll say to whose POV it's changing to. Fun facts: Shenzi's name means pagan or uncouth, Banzai's name means brash, Ed's name means…. Well…. Ed, and Macho's name (pronounced Maco, don't pronounce the ch sound) means vigilant or loyal. All these are in swahilli.**

 **Well, on with the fanfic! And please, do leave this humble author a review.**

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Banzai's POV

"And group C will head across the river. I will be taking group D further down the river. Now, is everyone clear on their instructions?"

"Yes ma'am!" Came the chorusing reply.

"Good. Those on scouting groups, you are now dismissed. Go where you were assigned to go." Said Shenzi, as she finished up giving orders. The assembled hyenas dispersed, and Banzai watched them go.

"So Shenzi…. You're part of group D?" He asked.

"Yeah. And don't think I'm not up for the task either." She replied, getting indignant.

"No, I'm not questioning your ability to lead a search group! Trust me that's not it at all….. But… *ahem* who exactly is part of group D?" He asked, as innocently as he could.

"You, Me, Ed, and Fahama." She said.

" _Really_? Oh, uh… That's good, that's good." He replied, breaking out into a smile. He was glad Shenzi couldn't see him grinning like a fool.

"Well, I guess you're excited about that arrangement. Now come on, take me to to Ed and Fahama. Obviously we're going to leave right away. And I want to get as much land covered as possible before the three weeks are up." Banzai nodded, and the two of them made their way down from the pile of rocks they had been standing on for Shenzi to give her speech. They walked down to the beach, where Fahama and Ed stood watching the river water swish by.

"Hey guys! We're part of a search group!" Announced Banzai, as he and Shenzi approached them.

"Really? With whom?" Replied Fahama. Ed let out another giggle at the news.

"It's us four. Macho said he'd stay behind and watch over those who are staying. Most likely nothing's going to happen, but I'm leaving a few warriors here just in case they're threatened." Added Shenzi.

"Us four huh? Is it smart to put two of the council and the Matriarch onto one search party?" Asked Fahama.

"It makes perfect sense, in ways you haven't yet considered. Also, I'm willing to bet that the best land is going to be further down the river, where the land keeps hydrated year round. So the council is coming along just so I can be sure that the spot really is worth it." Replied Shenzi.

"Huh. I guess that's why you're the Matriarch." Responded Fahama.

"Yeah. It's called superior intelligence. But between you and me Fahama, you've certainly got more than Banzai." Said Shenzi slyly.

"Hey!…." Banzai stuttered. He wasn't that stupid!

"Anyways, if everyone's ready, let's go. Banzai, come here." Said Shenzi. Banzai, muttering things underneath his breath, hurried to comply. He leaned back up against Shenzi, providing the support and guidance she needed to get around. They turned downriver, with Ed and Fahama following behind them.

"Let's go." Said Fahama.

()()()()()()()(()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Shenzi's POV

They didn't cover very much ground that day.

Or at least she _thought_ they didn't cover very much ground, because to be honest she couldn't really tell. But it didn't really feel as if they had spent too much time walking.

Currently, the others were asleep, curled up on the ground and probably dreaming. Ed and Banzai was snoring something terrible. Although with Ed, his snores were more like demented giggles. Ed spent way too much time laughing if he also did it in his sleep. Oh well, that was part of his personality she supposed.

Shenzi didn't feel like sleeping just yet. She was still wide awake, sitting and staring at whatever was in front of her. She didn't know what was in front of her because she hadn't thought to check. Maybe just more sand.

But in any case, it didn't matter what was in front of her. She didn't need to know.

Shenzi scowled. Since there wasn't a day that went by when she wasn't forcefully reminded of her lack of sight, and she was really getting tired of it. In fact, the loss of her sight was probably one of the worst things that had happened to her.

Of course, barring the day when her mother died, the day when two thirds of her clan perished in the fire at Pride Rock, and having her left back leg crushed to the point where using it was impossible. She was on three legs, literally.

But she kept going, because she had a clan to protect. As long as she could, she would do her best to provide for her clan, and try to give them the best life possible.

Because so far, she had ruined her own life in pursuit of that goal. She couldn't exactly quit whenever she wanted, not having sacrificed so much for it. Shenzi pawed at the ground, feeling the sand in between her claws. She had learned to appreciate the other senses available to her, especially sound and smell.

She shifted the sand in front of her left and right, enjoying the feeling of control it gave her. Sure, it was just control over some sand, but even so, it was more than what she normally had. What with having to rely on Banzai or another hyena if she simply wanted to move somewhere else. Shenzi piled the sand into a little mound, gathering the grains into a pile. Then, she brought her paw down onto the pile, smashing it and dispersing the sand. She chuckled, and began to gather the sand back into a pile.

As she was reassembling her sand mound, she flicked her ears. The sound of her little chuckle had sounded…. weird, somehow. She clicked her tongue, waiting to see if it sounded the same.

When she heard the sound of the click, she could almost feel that a certain part of the sound came back to her sooner than others. She clicked again, and yet again, it felt as if there was a part of the sound that was echoing back stronger and sooner than the echoes around her. Why was that? She wondered.

Again, she clicked. When the small echo reached her ears, she found that perhaps it was the sound in _front_ of her that came back stronger. Shenzi didn't know very much about echoes, but she figured that if an echo came back sooner than other echoes, that meant it was hitting something sooner than the rest of the sound. So, what did that mean here?

Maybe there was something in front of her, something causing a bit of the sound to echo back sooner than the rest. She clicked her tongue, and she adjusted her ears accordingly. As she suspected, the area in front of her echoed just a little bit stronger than the areas around her.

She got up onto her three legs, and limped forward a few feet. She stretched out her forepaw, and to her surprise, made contact with a large rock that was sitting on the beach. She smiled, and turned around. She clicked, and to her surprise, felt the echoes come back in a pattern. After a few more clicks she determined that there were three lumps a few feet in front of her. Was it possibly Banzai, Ed, and Fahama?

She limped towards the supposed lumps, clicking as she did so. When she got close to when, she reached out her forepaw, trying to determine if there really was something there. It took a few tries, but after a few seconds of feeling around she felt her paw touch fur. Immediately, she heard Ed snort, and felt him roll over. Grinning, Shenzi walked back a little bit, and lied down.

She might have lost her sight, but now, she had a way of determining where things were.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Scar's POV

Scar was dreaming.

Dreams were usually bearable, but since they almost always showed something from the past, the results varied. It depended on what the dreams decided to show him. If the event he was reliving was a sour one, he couldn't enjoy it. But if the memories were sweet, he would savor every moment.

But at this particular junction, he wasn't even sure what memory he was going to relive. He was sitting in his old den next to Pride Rock, and it was still early morning. He could see out across the savannah, and there were quite a lot of animals on the move.

Then, a tiny mouse ran across his paw. Scar stared down at the little creature, a slight sneer across his face. Oh well, at least he would have a light snack before the event started. He nabbed the mouse, and dangled it by the tail in front of his muzzle.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?" Came a pompous voice from the mouth of the cave. It started Scar, and the little mouse slipped away from his grasp and ran away, it's little feet clattering against the stone floor. Scar sighed. So it was _this_ memory. Well, time to get things over with.

"Oh come on Zazu, you made me lose my lunch." He replied, without much vigor.

"You'll have worse when the king gets here. He's as mad as a hippo with a hernia." Replied the blue bird.

"Oh, I quiver with fear. Now if you don't mind Zazu, how about you just let the king get here and let him do the talking. I really don't care to discuss things with the feeble minded." Scoffed Scar.

"I'm Mufasa's Majordomo! What I say is his own word!" Said Zazu, a bit miffed.

"Yes, yes it is." Said Mufasa, as he rounded the corner and entered Scar's den. As always, Mufasa was big and brutish, and imposing figure only enhanced by his large bright mane.

"Hello dear brother." Said Scar, as he rolled his eyes.

"Well, hello to you too. Now Zazu, could you please leave us?" Asked Mufasa, gesturing towards the bird. This made Scar turn his head towards Mufasa. That wasn't what had happened in real life. In reality, Mufasa hadn't asked Zazu to leave. And dreams always followed the way the memory happened. So what was going on?

"Of course sire." Said Zazu, as he gave a little bow and flew off. Then, Mufasa turned back towards Scar.

"So what is it you want? If it's about your son's presentation, I didn't mean to miss it. It was only my… slippery mind. A simple case of forgetfulness." Scar said mockingly.

"No Scar, that's not it." Said Mufasa.

"It's not? Then what?" Demanded Scar. This dream wasn't happening at all as it had happened in reality.

"Wondering why I'm deviating from reality's course? It's simple Scar, this isn't being derived from your memories. This time, it's happening the way I want it to." Said Mufasa, his face calm and impassive, of a little bit amused.

"What…. What do you mean?!" Gasped Scar, as his eyes widened and he took a step back from his brother. What the hell was going on?

"There is an afterlife, after all. I'm just visiting you from the stars, to tell you something. A rather useful skill, to be able to communicate with the living." Replied Mufasa, his eyebrow cocked.

"You…. You can't be him! You're dead! Go away!" Yelled Scar, suddenly seized by panic. This couldn't be _the_ Mufasa!

"I'm afraid I am him, the one you so coldly threw into into that pack of wildebeests. But let bygones be bygones, I say. Especially since you've changed."

"No….no, that's not how it works, lions don't forgive that easily, not after what I've done, the crimes I've committed….. What the hell are you playing at!" Yelled Scar, snarling.

"Well, I've been watching you for a while now Scar. You're no longer that bitter twisted lion I once knew. You and Nafasi get along quite well too."

"Shut up! Shut up, will you! What the hell are you doing?!" Scar screamed, as he backed further into the cave.

"Scar, listen to me. There's nothing to fear! I'm not going to hurt you, or punish you. Let's treat this like old times! When you were still Taka and we were just cubs! Come on brother, listen to reason." Suggested Mufasa.

"I _am_ listening to reason, but it's my reason. And my reason tells me that lions don't forgive that easily." Said Scar, shaking his head slowly.

"Well, being amongst the Great Kings of the Past has made me a little more than a lion. Although, I suppose you do have a point. The reason I'm here is because I have to tell you something, and it's got to do with the deeds you committed." Said Mufasa.

"Hah. And what exactly is this message you have to tell me? Why is it so important that you descend from your pompous home in the stars?" Accused Scar, calming himself down.

"Well, it's obvious enough that you've changed. However, you still haven't said that you regret what you've done. You can _feel_ that you hate what you did, but you can't bring yourself to say it. All I need you to do is say that you regret your past actions." Said Mufasa.

"And why must I say that?" Demanded Scar.

"Because if you don't say it now, there are two tests you're going to have to endure. Neither of the tests were set up by me, but they simply presented themselves at the right moment. Right now, one of the tests is one its way to your den now. And the other is a few days away." Explained Mufasa.

"What are the tests?" Asked Scar, suspicious of his brother's plans.

"Keep in mind, these tests aren't my design. But I can help you pass them, if you tell me you regret what you did. Also, the Great Kings of the Past won't exactly be lenient upon you without a verbal apology. That's also not my idea." Replied Mufasa.

"And why should I appease those bastards up in the stars?" Snarled Scar.

"Then do it for me, your brother. And if you won't do it for me, you'll most certainly do it to pass the tests. Believe me, you're going to need my help. Now then, we've discussed that enough. Goodbye Scar, and stay strong. But before I go, perhaps you'd like to see something you've been missing for a long time." Mufasa then waved his paw, and next to him, three little cubs appeared, all of them playing happily together.

Scar could almost feel his heart stop.

"Are those… My _cubs_?" He whispered.

"The ones that died. Whatever happens when you die Scar, just know that they will be waiting for you, consequences or not. Now then, goodbye." Mufasa waved his paw again, and suddenly the dream began to fade.

"No! Wait! Not yet! Not yet!" Yelled Scar, as he ran towards the fading cubs. He had to get to them, to touch them, to talk to them, to comfort them! To tell them he was sorry that they died!

Then, he woke back up.

Empty pawed.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()()()()(()()(()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()(

 **Okay, for the record, when it comes to Shenzi's 'echolocation' I did some research on this, and humans can do some form of rudimentary form of echolocation. So I figured, why not hyenas? Don't worry, Shenzi's still pretty much the same way she was, and she'll still require help to get around. But now she'll be able to keep herself from running into walls or something similar.**

 **And as for Scar, I wonder what the tests are?**

 **It's a fanfiction crime to be following a story but not review! Constructive criticism accepted. No flaming!**


	5. Morning and Fog

**I'm back at this fanfic deal! Man, I love writing these! Anyhow, this a sequel to two of my stories, 'Scars of Redemption, and 'One Last Try.' The events of both shall be explored further here. But if you didn't read any of them, it doesn't matter, because anything relevant shall be explained here.**

 **If you see this: ()()()()()()()() it means the POV is changing. Don't worry, I'll say to whose POV it's changing to. Fun facts: Shenzi's name means pagan or uncouth, Banzai's name means brash, Ed's name means…. Well…. Ed, Macho's name (pronounced Maco, don't pronounce the ch sound) means vigilant or loyal, and Nafasi's name means chance. All these are in swahili.**

 **Well, on with the fanfic! And please, do leave this humble author a review.**

)()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()

Banzai's POV

"Hey Banzai!" Wake up!" Yelled Shenzi, as Banzai felt her push him over.

"Oh jeez Shenzi, is the sun even up yet?" Moaned Banzai, as he rubbed his eyes.

"I don't know, I can't tell. But I gotta show you something!" Replied Shenzi, enthusiastically. Banzai frowned, not sure he had heard her correctly. What could she possibly have to show him?

"Hurry up Banzai, are you awake yet?" Demanded Shenzi.

"Yes…..I'm awake!" He gasped, shaking his head in an attempt to wake himself up quicker. He glanced around, and saw that the sun had just peaked over the horizon, casting little rays of light across the area. Fahama and Ed were still asleep, with Ed scratching himself in his sleep.

"Right then… Come over here." Ordered Shenzi. Banzai trotted over to her, waiting to see what it was she has to show him.

"So…. What is it?" He asked.

"Okay, so now…. I'm going to walk over in this direction, and I want you to stay perfectly still and quiet. Don't make a sound, okay?" She asked.

"Got it." He replied, confused by the strangeness of her request. He watched her limp backwards a few feet, then, with a grin on her face, started to make clicking noises. He arched his eyebrows, even further confused. Was this some sort of joke?

Although, after a few seconds of her clicking, she started to move forward. Banzai didn't see her sniff the air, but she moved towards him, clicking as she did so.

"Okay…. I think you're right about…. Here!" Announced Shenzi, as she stretched her forepaw out towards Banzai. Immediately, she fell forward onto the ground with a small yelp of surprise.

"Are you alright?" Asked Banzai quickly, as Shenzi got back up.

"I'm fine." Grumbled Shenzi, as she sat down in the sand. "I just keep forgetting I can't stand on only two legs."

"Oh… Well, you'll get used to it." Said Banzai reassuringly.

"Yeah. I'm sure I will." Muttered Shenzi darkly, as she scowled. "Anyways, what I was originally trying to show you was that I could use sounds to locate objects, like you."

"Was that what the clicking was?" Asked Banzai.

"Yeah, that's what the clicking was. It's like I can hear how sounds move and bounce off things. If an echo is stronger, the object is nearer. If it's weaker, then the object is further away." Explained Shenzi.

"That's neat." Replied Banzai.

"It's _useful_. It means that I don't have to completely rely on other hyenas to be my eyes. This way, I can be on my own for more often." She said. She sounded wistful though, as if she really wasn't sure she believed what she was saying. Although to Banzai, it was clear she was just wishing really hard that things could go back to the way they were.

Banzai knew Shenzi hated her disabilities. She hated them more than lions, which was saying something. Being blind and cripple was a real comedown for Shenzi, a female hyena. Since the females were the dominant gender among spotted hyenas, females enjoyed greater strength and rank. Shenzi still kept her rank, but she had lost all the strength. As well as almost any form of freedom and independence.

"That's good." Said Banzai, not sure what exactly to say. He wanted to comfort her, but what exactly could be said to make a problem as large as hers better?

"Huh. Well, it is. Now come on, wake the others up. I don't care if it's still dark, we need to get moving." Ordered Shenzi, still scowling.

"Actually, the sun just came up a few minutes ago, so it's no longer dark." Replied Banzai.

"Shut up! I DON'T give a fuck if it's dark or light, we need to get moving! Now do as I said!" Yelled Shenzi, suddenly getting angry. Banzai gulped, realizing he had just corrected her over something she couldn't possibly know, and had given her yet another unwelcome reminder of her infirmity. Cursing his own stupidity, Banzai ran over to the other hyenas, and shook them awake.

Hopefully, the day wouldn't contain any more screw ups.

()()()()())())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Scar's POV

Scar had what some would call a 'personality issue'.

He suffered from a multiple personality disorder, and it was one of the most annoying things in his life.

His current one was the one from his cubhood, Taka. As a cub, he had still been innocent, and had not known the evils of the world around him. Unfortunately for him though, his father, Ahadi, had hated him. He despised his own son. And he had made Scar's cub hood miserable.

If it wasn't for the hyenas, Scar doubted he would have had any good cubhood memories.

When Ahadi had attempted to kill Scar, he had cut Scar on his face, over his eye. Scar had run to the hyenas, the only spot he felt safe. When Ahadi realized he could not get to Scar, he had instead exiled him from the Pridelands. Over the years, the separation from his mother drove Scar bitter, and jealous of what his brother had.

After his blasted father had died, Mufasa let Scar back into the Pridelands, but he wasn't Taka anymore. He had rechristened himself as Scar, and had demanded that the others call him as such. His bitterness drove away every part of Taka, even his friendship with the hyena trio.

And as he obsessed over his jealousy, bitterness became deep hate, and hate eventually became madness. He had driven himself insane, and lost sight of all that was good or pure. Looking back on it, Scar doubted he would have ever been able to kill his brother or carry out any of the heinous acts he had done if he had not been so far off the deep end.

When Scar had cemented his rule, he did not have reason, he did not stop and think about anything other than himself. And so he dragged the Pridelands into a slow decline, a decline that hadn't halted until his nephew had arrived.

Simba had gotten lucky in that fight, of that he was sure. But nonetheless, he was glad that he had lost that fight, because if he hadn't, he would never have met Nafasi.

Nafasi had taken him out of his madness, and had brought him to see reason, and to finally love again. He truly loved Nafasi, more than anything else in the world. He no longer cared about who sat on the throne at Pride Rock, because why should he? He wasn't even living in the Pridelands anymore!

There were only two shadows across his heart. And one of them was his old life. Now that he wasn't his old bitter self anymore, he knew what he had done was evil. But what had caused him to do it was his madness, and even though he was no longer insane, that part of him bubbled underneath, always threatening to come up if he he lost control of himself.

If he got too angry, the old jealousy would come back, and there was no control over actions unregulated by a conscience.

Nafasi had scars on her chest as an example of himself losing control.

But at the moment, he didn't have to worry about his insane personality taking over. Right now, there was nothing to worry about, nothing but good news. In only a few days, Nafasi would give birth to a cub, and whether it was a boy or a girl Scar would welcome it into the world.

The biggest reason he wanted cubs was because his own childhood had been so terrible. He wanted to give a cub an upbringing he never had, he wanted to spoil that cub with anything it wanted to make it happy.

He wanted to prove he could do a better job than Ahadi had.

His dream last night still disturbed him though, And Mufasa had proved just as annoying as ever. Somehow, _somehow_ , Mufasa had talked about his own death about as nonchalantly as if he was discussing the weather. And apparently, Mufasa had forgiven Scar of his sins, and was now trying to secure Scar a spot amongst the had no idea how any lion was capable of such profound goodness, but then, he supposed he wasn't really the lion to ask when it came to things like purity.

It also bothered Scar that Mufasa had mentioned two tests. Mufasa had claimed not to have any hand in the supposed tests, but knowing his brother, Mufasa probably had his sticky paws all over it. Mufasa said that one of the tests was almost here, and that he should be ready for it.

But how the hell was he supposed to be ready if he didn't know what the hell it was?

Scar sighed, as he thought back to another part of the dream. Mufasa had shown him three cubs, and supposedly they were the cubs that had been his, but had died. He didn't know how true that was, but he hoped it was. It meant that at least his cubs had been rewarded for their suffering.

Scar hoped the cubs were enjoying the afterlife, but there was no point in focusing on them. He had to focus on the here and now, he had to focus on the present. Nafasi's cub was due soon, and so he couldn't allow himself to lose sight of what was important. When the cub arrived, he could finally fulfill his desire to he a father.

Well, all would come about soon enough.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Banzai's POV

They had been walking in near silence for hours.

There wasn't really much to see though, as the day wore on, fog came out and enveloped the entire area. In fact, the fog was so thick that if Banzai put his paw put in front of him, he couldn't even see that. In order to stay together, they were in a short line, with Banzai and Shenzi in the back, Ed right in front of them, and Fahama leading the way.

To Shenzi, this day was just like any other, but for the rest of them the sudden lack of visibility forced them to slow down.

"Say, Fahama…. How much longer till ya think the fog's going to clear up?" Asked Banzai.

"That's is literally the eighth time you've asked that Banzai!" Shouted an annoyed Fahama.

"Actually, it's the ninth." Muttered Shenzi.

"I don't think I've asked that nine times…." Said Banzai, trying to recall what he had said earlier.

"Trust us, it's probably more than that." Added Fahama. Ed let out a laugh that echoed out along the river. Banzai rolled his eyes.

"I don't think it's been that much." He said.

"Look, how about we don't argue about this? And as your Matriarch, I officially declare you asked that question exactly nine times." Said Shenzi, with a little chuckle.

"I didn't do it nine times!" Pleaded Banzai.

"Your Matriarch has had her say. And if your Matriarch gives you an order, you follow it!" Replied Shenzi.

"All right, all right. I asked that question nine times. Happy now?" Asked Banzai.

"Not quite. As your Matriarch, I order you to admit one secret! One thing you'd rather not have any else know! And be truthful, or there'll be consequences." Said Shenzi, smirking.

"What! That's not fair! Why should I tell other hyenas a secret of mine?"

"I don't know Banzai, I think this should be amusing." Chuckled Fahama evilly

"That's the exact reason. Now hurry up, we need an embarrassing secret to tease you about." Said Shenzi, as Ed giggled with anticipation.

"Well, what does the secret have to be about?" Asked Banzai, hoping to narrow down his options away from certain things.

"It has to be something you've never really told anyone. Or at least something you've never told Fahama. And it can't be the length of a certain body part, I already know that's real short!" Chuckled Shenzi, as Banzai turned red. Ed and Fahama both enjoyed a laugh from that.

"Hey… Shenzi! Stop it!" He muttered to her, glad for the fog. If Fahama or Ed glanced back, they would see he was blushing.

"It's called blackmail. Tell us a secret, or I'll spill something even worse than that! How about your sleeping habit from when you were a cub?" Grinned Shenzi.

"Okay! Okay… Umm…. Let's see…." Banzai racked his head, trying to come up with something that wouldn't be too embarrassing, but unfortunately for him, it seemed ALL his secrets were embarrassing.

"Guys, stop! Stop!" Yelled Fahama suddenly, as Banzai bumped into Ed, who in turn bumped into Fahama, who in turn skidded forward across the ground.

"What did we stop for?" Asked Shenzi, who had no trouble in coming to a halt.

"There's a ravine here…. And I think it's deep!" Fahama replied. Banzai and Shenzi marched forward, to check out what Fahama had said. When they reached the gap, Banzai looked over the edge, but the fog prevented him from seeing the bottom. He grabbed a rock, and tossed it over the side. He didn't hear hear it hit the ground.

"That's deep." He observed.

"No kidding." Replied Fahama.

"So… Shall we go around it then?" Suggested Shenzi.

"I guess so. Although, it's weird, the rocks overturned here seem fresh. As if they had just been recently tossed about." Added Fahama.

Hey, I don't care if the rocks are recent, what I care about is that we get around it. Now, shall we hurry up?" Said Shenzi.

"Alrighty. Let's go." The group then turned to their right, and began to trot around the ravine. As they went, they knocked rocks over into the gorge, with little echoes cascading around them as the stones slid across the edge. Banzai observed the ground, and he saw that Fahama was right. In fact, it looked as the dust had just barely settled.

Strange.

Suddenly, the ground below him began to shake. Banzai jerked his head down towards the ground, his eyes wide. What the heck? Rumbling noises emerged from the ravine next to them, and cracks appeared in the ground, spreading across the area.

"What the hell?" Yelled Shenzi.

"An earthquake!" Replied Fahama.

"Well, shit. Run!" Shouted Banzai, as the shaking noise grew louder. All four of them gave a quick start, and ran forward. The ravine shook, and started to grow wider, and wider!

Banzai cursed, as he and Shenzi limped away from the gorge. Why did the earthquake have to begin now? Why couldn't it have done it sooner, or after they arrived? As cracks spread beneath their feet, Banzai contemplated the incredible timing of their situation. Although the ground had been recently shook around…. Perhaps they were experiencing an aftershock?

The ground in front of them suddenly opened up, another ravine forming. Banzai jumped over it, and over the next widening hole. He could barely keep standing, but he stumbled forward. Fahama jumped out of the fog next to him, followed by Ed. All around them, cracks and holes opened up, with steam billowing out of them, the gasses forced up and out by the earthquake.

They ran through the fog, not stopping unless they hit an obstacle. And even then, only for the few seconds required to go around. After a few minutes, the rumbling faded, and they came to a stop on solid ground.

"Well….. That was close." Said Fahama happily, as she recovered her breath.

"I'll say." Replied Banzai, also gasping for air. Ed however, didn't seem winded. Instead, he whimpered, and glanced around.

"What is it Ed?" Said Fahama.

"Yeah Ed, we're fine, we made it! The earthquake is gone. Now all we have to do is go _far_ around the damned thing. Who knows about more aftershocks." Said Banzai, grinning. But Ed didn't seem comforted. He just kept whimpering, staring at Banzai.

"Huh. Maybe he's just frightened." Suggested Fahama.

"Maybe. What do you think Shenzi…..." Said Banzai, as he turned to speak to her.

His voice died in his throat.

"Shenzi?!" He called, glancing around.

Silence.

"Oh…"

"Fuck."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()())()()()())()()(()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

 **They screwed up! What happened to Shenzi? And will she be all right?**

 **It's a fanfiction crime to be following a story but not review. Constructive criticism accepted. No flaming!**


	6. Lost and Bad News

**I'm back at this fanfic deal! Man, I love writing these! Anyhow, this a sequel to two of my stories, 'Scars of Redemption, and 'One Last Try.' The events of both shall be explored further here. But if you didn't read any of them, it doesn't matter, because anything relevant shall be explained here.**

 **If you see this: ()()()()()()()() it means the POV is changing. Don't worry, I'll say to whose POV it's changing to. Fun facts: Shenzi's name means pagan or uncouth, Banzai's name means brash, Ed's name means…. Well…. Ed, Macho's name (pronounced Maco, don't pronounce the ch sound) means vigilant or loyal, and Nafasi's name means chance. All these are in swahili.**

 **Well, on with the fanfic! And please, do leave this humble author a review.**

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Shenzi's POV

Shenzi was alone.

All alone.

She would have looked around, but it would have been pointless. The sound of the earthquake still resonated in her ears, and it felt as if her bones were still shaking. She could feel dust settling onto her fur, and it wasn't exactly comfortable. In fact, it felt dirty, but she didn't really feel like shaking herself to get it off. When you only had three legs, turbulent movements were kept to a minimum.

She almost had a heart attack when Banzai jumped away without warning. And the worst part was, he didn't come back. It probably didn't help that the second he left, Shenzi decided to get out of there by herself. She certainly wasn't going to die in some blasted earthquake, that would have lame.

So she stumbled sideways, hoping against hope that she wouldn't fall into anything. She tripped more than once, but she kept on. Eventually, the rumbling stopped, and she could relax. Although now, she was faced with a problem.

Where the hell was she?

"Banzai!" She called, sending her voice cascading through the fog. She didn't hear a reply. If she was so far away from everyone else that they couldn't hear her, then she was in trouble. It meant she really was all alone

She sniffed the air, checking for their scents. If she found their scents, she could follow them. It took a few sniffs, but eventually she caught a little hint of Fahama.

Or at least she _thought_ that it was Fahama's scent, truth be told she wasn't sure. If it was, it was just a little wisp of it. But it was better than nothing. She did her best to pinpoint the direction she thought it came from, then began to follow it. Eventually, the sound of the river came into range, the splashing and crashing of a lot of water on the move.

She aligned herself with the river edge, and began to slowly walk down the beach. She kept accidentally stepping into the water, getting her paws all wet. She really hated water, unless she was drinking from it.

She clicked a few times, making sure to go over and around obstacles. There were a lot of logs in this area, and she would have tripped over all of them if it wasn't for her ability to 'see' with sound. She wondered if all rivers had this many logs, or if she was just unlucky.

As Shenzi went on, the oppressing silence wore into her. Not even the bugs were chirping, nor the frogs croaking. Maybe they had all been scared by the earthquake. Whatever the reason, it was freaking her out. Especially since she used sounds to be able to know what was going on around her.

Well, there was nothing else to do but keep walking.

()()()

It was a few hours later when Shenzi figured she must have gone in the wrong direction. Which really was a bother, since she would have to go back all the way she had came to get back to Banzai and the rest.

She swore silently, cursing her bad luck. Could this day get any worse?

Then, she sniffed the air again, just to be sure the scent was completely gone. She inhaled through her nose, letting the familiar and unfamiliar smells come in so she could identify them.

Then, she froze.

She smelled lion.

Lions? What the hell were lions doing out here? And how the hell did she get this close to them without smelling them sooner? Shenzi started to back and prepare to run away as fast as she could when she realized something. She _recognized_ the lion's scent.

She _recognized_ it.

She breathed in the scents again, trying to identify why the hell she recognized a lion's scent all the way out here. Yup, she knew this scent. But she couldn't place to whom it belonged to. Shenzi tried to recall, searching her brain for anything that would jar her memory. But she simply couldn't recall why she recognized the scent. It eluded her.

Think think think. She had to have an answer. There was a reason for it, there had to be. But who the hell did it belong to?

Wait a minute…

"Oh shit!"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()

Scar's POV- a few minutes earlier.

Scar trotted back up the beach, with a fish in his mouth. Living next to a river had its merits, and easy to catch fish was one of them. The fish he had with him now was actually a very big one, one of the biggest he had ever caught. Nafasi would be pleased, of that he was morning's fog had dissipated a few hours ago, leaving the day sunny and clear.

He walked into the den, and set his catch down onto the stone floor. He looked around, but Nafasi was nowhere to be seen. If she wasn't in the den, where was she?

"Nafasi!" He called, his voice echoing throughout the den. There was no response. He went out of the den and back to the beach, looking up and down the river for any sign of her. He turned around, and walked around the cave mouth and into the forest that lay beyond the beach.

"Nafasi!" He called again, but he heard no response from the trees. Hmmm. Perhaps she was back at the graves, saying hello to the 'cubs'. Scar jumped into the forest, pushing his way through the foliage. Fallen leaves on the ground crunched beneath his paws, a sign that perhaps that hottest parts of the year were nearly over.

Scar walked between the trees and into his clearing, and saw Nafasi lying down next to the graves of the dead cubs. Giving a small sigh of relief, he walked up to her, and nudged her to let her know he was there.

"Nafasi! It's me! Come on, I've caught us lunch!" He said. Nafasi stirred, and looked up at him, her eyes red.

"Oh. Hi Scar." She said in a quiet voice.

"Nafasi…. Have you been _crying_?" He asked, his voice suddenly full of concern.

"Maybe." She replied, sniffling.

"Nafasi….. What is it?" He asked worriedly, as he brushed a paw through her fur to comfort her.

"Well…. Scar….. There's something I have to tell you…. Something…. That maybe I should have told you sooner, but I hoped that it would be different this time. I thought that maybe…. Things would…. Change. But it didn't." Sniffled Nafasi, her face downcast. Scar felt a cold hand grip his heart.

"But Nafasi…. What is it?" He repeated, desperate to know what was ailing her, so perhaps he could fix it.

"Well…..you know how my first two cubs were stillborn?" Sobbed Nafasi quietly.

"Yes….." Said Scar.

"Well, for the first two months of the pregnancy, things were fine, the cub seemed healthy, and there weren't any problems. But in the third month, the last month, their movements began to get….. Weaker, somehow. And as the month wore on…. They hardly even moved at all….. And then….. A day or two before they were born…. They stopped moving altogether….. Dead. Completely dead." Said Nafasi, as tears resumed falling down her cheeks.

"Well, Nafasi, it's like you said, I shouldn't obsess over the past. And neither should you. Come on Nafasi, let's go have lunch together, don't get stressed over what can't be changed." Said Scar, trying to comfort her. They couldn't focus on the horrors of the past, they had to be _here_ , in the present, for when their next cub finally came.

"You don't understand!" Wailed Nafasi, as she looked up into Scar's eyes, larger and larger tears welling up.

"Nafasi, please. Everything's fine!" Said Scar, really getting worried now.

"No! It's not! Scar, what I told you happened to the other cubs…. It's happening to this one!" She said, sobbing.

"What!" Whispered Scar, his eyes suddenly wide.

"It's movements have been getting weaker and weaker… I can barely feel its kicks anymore! Scar… I think this one's dying too!" Nafasi drew out of Scar's grasp, and tried to wipe her years with her paw. Scar simply stood there, watching her, silently begging her to tell him otherwise than what he had just heard.

"Well…. I just thought I'd tell you…. You know…. Cause it's always better to….. Be prepared for the future…well…. I'll see you in a few hours… I'll be there for lunch." Nafasi whispered, as she slowly trotted into the forest, her tail dragging on the ground.

Scar watched her go.

He didn't know what to say.

He didn't know what to do.

So instead of thinking, Scar turned around, and marched towards the beach.

His paws hit the sand in a steady rhythm, but his glare was vacant. He walked up to the river, and dipped his forepaw into the water, letting the cold liquid run in between his claws. After a few moments of this, he took his paw out, and examined it. His paw was wet, and the fur was drooping down, with the water that was left running down his foreleg.

He put his paw into some sand, and brought it back up for him to see. Due to the wetness, some sand clung to it. He put his paw back into the water, and washed the sand , he clenched his teeth, and contracted his paw with his claws extended, so that he pierced the pads, and drew forth blood from the holes he had made in his own paw.

The world was so fucking unfair.

The world was so _FUCKING UNFAIR_!

He started breathing harder, trying not to think, but thoughts unbidden came forth nonetheless. Why…. Why did his fourth cub have to die? After all these years of trying, all these years of hoping, were all of his cubs destined to never have a cubhood? To never have a loving, caring father and mother? To be conceived in the womb, but never see the light of day!

He felt like roaring, but he held it in. Damn it all! Damn all of this, damn this very existence! His own cubhood had been miserable, his own father had been neglectent, his own brother had ignored him, and his _friends_ …

His _friends_ …

There had been but two shining lights when he was young. His mother, and his friends. His mother had died years ago, but his friends had once promised never to leave his side.

" _You'll help me, won't you?" Asked Taka._

 _"Of course, we'll always be there to help." Replied a confident Shenzi. Taka smiled, feeling reassured._

Scar thought back to that blasted day, the day he had gotten his scar. Shenzi had given her word, and when he needed them most, they had abandoned him! They had tried to rip him apart, in some sort of revenge for words he never meant. Shenzi herself had ordered it…..

And now, there was no joy in the world, nothing to hang on too. The world was cruel, and unforgiving. And he couldn't be cruel back. Scar snarled, digging his claws into the sand. He couldn't be cruel back to the world, it was impossible.

He needed support from someone, but there was no one who would give it. Nafasi was feeling just as bad as him, if not worse. He needed his friends, he needed those who had said they would help him.

But he didn't have friends, he didn't have friends. Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed were long gone, the traitorous _fucking_ bastards they were.

"Oh shit!" Rang out a sudden voice from Scar's left. Scar whipped to his side, to see who it was. And to his great surprise, he recognized the creature who had said it.

"Shenzi!?

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

 **And….. They meet. Heh heh heh, what's Scar going to do, given his current thoughts and feelings over his former friends?**

 **BTW, lion pregnancies only last about three months.**

 **Well, it's a fanfiction crime to be following a story but not review! Constructive Criticism accepted. No flaming!**


	7. Fear is White but Blood is Red

**I'm back at this fanfic deal! Man, I love writing these! Anyhow, this a sequel to two of my stories, 'Scars of Redemption, and 'One Last Try.' The events of both shall be explored further here. But if you didn't read any of them, it doesn't matter, because anything relevant shall be explained here.**

 **If you see this: ()()()()()()()() it means the POV is changing. Don't worry, I'll say to whose POV it's changing to. Fun facts: Shenzi's name means pagan or uncouth, Banzai's name means brash, Ed's name means…. Well…. Ed, Macho's name (pronounced Maco, don't pronounce the ch sound) means vigilant or loyal, and Nafasi's name means chance. All these are in swahili.**

 **Well, on with the fanfic! And please, do leave this humble author a review.**

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(

Banzai's POV

Banzai ran over the newly made ravine, searching up and down it.

"Shenzi!" He shouted desperately, his voice sore from yelling. As with before, there was no response.

He, Fahama, and Ed had been searching the site of the earthquake for Shenzi for hours. When the fog had cleared up, their job became easier but nonetheless they found no sign of her, not even a body. It was as if she had disappeared, or…. Worse.

Banzai had instinctively jumped over the geyser, leaving Shenzi by herself. And he hadn't even realized it until it was much too late. If anything happened to her, it was all his fault!

Banzai cursed himself, and cursed his stupidity. How could he have done such a brainless thing? Why had he done it? Now Shenzi was gone, and they couldn't find her!

"Banzai! Found anything!" Shouted Fahama, as she approached Banzai. Banzai frowned worriedly.

"No, nothing. Not even her scent." He replied.

"Blast it! Well, we'll just have to keep looking." Replied Fahama.

"But we've been searching the same spots for hours! She isn't here!" Complained Banzai, trying to distract himself from the guilt.

"Maybe not, but if we stop looking, what kind of clan members are we?" Replied Fahama.

"No! I wasn't suggesting we stop looking. I would _never_ suggest that. But the thing is…. I think we need to start looking in other areas." Said Banzai.

"You think she stumbled away?" Asked Fahama.

"All I'm saying is that we need to go check the outlying parts of the earthquake, and search for her scent there." Said Banzai. Fahama nodded.

"You know what Banzai? That's actually a pretty good idea. Go tell Ed." Responded Fahama. Banzai grunted in reply.

"Okay."

"Oh, and Banzai?" Said Fahama.

"What?" He asked.

"Listen… I'm sure wherever she is, she's fine." She said reassuringly.

"Yeah…. I hope so." Banzai looked at the ravine and whispered to himself. "I'm sure she's fine."

()()())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Scar's POV

"Shenzi!?" Exclaimed Scar in surprise, hardly believing his own eyes.

"Sca- Scar!" Shouted Shenzi, her eyes wide. Scar stood there, frozen, trying to sort his thoughts out.

Shenzi was standing here, right in front of him.

Shenzi, his childhood friend from all those years ago, the one that had promised never to leave his side, the one that had promised to help him. Shenzi, the hyena who had had defended him from his father, Ahadi, when he tried to kill him.

But this wasn't that Shenzi.

No, the Shenzi he knew now had tried to kill him.

To maul him.

To leave him amongst the fires, to burn to death.

This wasn't the Shenzi that had promised to help him. This was the Shenzi whom had ordered her own clan to kill him over a simple misunderstanding. This Shenzi had almost succeeded at sending him to a fiery grave.

Scar could feel his old hatred bubbling up. All the old feelings, the hate, his jealousy, and his abhorrence against his brother. Maybe he had tried to let them go, but now, he wasn't going to suppress it.

"Scar! What the…. How are you still alive!" Exclaimed Shenzi, as she backed away.

"Shenzi! It's been so _long_ since we've seen each other! Can you recall the last time we spoke?" Said Scar, dropping his voice to a sinister growl.

"What! You're not…. That was years ago!" Replied Shenzi.

"Well, if your memory is hazy, it hardly matters. I can remember it well enough." Said Scar, his voice smooth and honeyed, concealing his own intentions. He smiled, seeing Shenzi widen her eyes in fear at his statement.

"You were a traitor! You deserved what you got!" Snarled Shenzi, recovering and forcing herself to hide her fear. Well, she hadn't changed.

"I deserved what I got? Did I? Shenzi, you're supposed to be the smart one! Clearly, I was simply trying to get my blasted nephew off my back! Why, I'm surprised you didn't infer that by yourself!" Sneered Scar, keeping his voice silken.

"You sold us out!" She growled.

"And you tried to eat me alive. We can't all be perfect, really." Reasoned Scar.

"Oh yeah! Well if you come any closer, you'll get a repeat of that!" Yelled Shenzi.

"Tut tut tut. Shenzi, I am a _lion_. And you are a _hyena_. There's only one of you this time, you can't possibly win." Sneered Scar. "And you don't really seem like you are doing too well either. What happened to your leg? Was that a _lion's_ doing? Zira, perhaps?" Taunted Scar.

"It was Simba." Repled Shenzi, scowling.

"My nephew again? My, he keeps popping up in this conversation! But he hardly matters right now, what matters is that after all these years, we meet again. And I'm not exactly in a good mood. I couldn't tell you why, but something sour happened recently. I need something to take my mind of things. And a little _revenge_ is the perfect way to do it." Said Scar, with a twisted smile on his face.

He could now see Shenzi start to turn white from fear. However, other than that she was doing a very good job of hiding it. Like the trained Matriarch she was.

"I meant it Scar! If you come closer I _will_ tear your throat out!" Yelled Shenzi, as she took even more steps back, doing her best to get away from her enemy.

"Will you? Will you _really_ attack?" Taunted Scar, as he swung one of his forelegs forward inches away from Shenzi's muzzle.

She didn't even flinch.

Puzzled, Scar silently swung again, but Shenzi didn't even react with so much as a defensive growl. In fact, she hardly moved, other that turning her ears back and forth, seemingly in an effort to take in sound. Scar looked at Shenzi's eyes, and saw that they were milky white.

"Shenzi, are you… blind?" Asked Scar menacingly, his twisted smile becoming a grin. He saw Shenzi inhale sharply, her composure nearly lost. Good, she was breaking.

"No!" Came the blatant reply.

"My, the years certainly haven't been treating _you_ well have they? Blind and cripple, how do you manage?" He said, sneering. "And on the topic of how you've been, you don't look very well fed either. Your ribs are practically poking out of your own skin! Why, the sight of such a decrepit creature almost moves me to pity!" Scar paused. "Almost, but not quite."

As if she sensed Scar's intentions, Shenzi made an attempt to run. Before she moved but a few steps, Scar jumped onto her, and flipped himself over onto his back, with his claws buried into Shenzi's shoulders. With a surprised yip from Shenzi, he flung her sideways across the sand, and she skidded into the cave.

Before she could properly recover, Scar jumped onto her, pinning her belly up on the cave floor. Trying to retaliate, Shenzi raised her forelegs and dug her own claws into Scar's forelegs. With a growl, Scar shook them off, leaving little droplets of blood flowing down his own legs. Then, to stop the repetition of such an accident, seized Shenzi's right foreleg, and pushed down hard.

 _Crack_!

"Fuck! You broke my… You broke my leg!" Exclaimed Shenzi panickingly, as she let out a cry of pain.

"My dear, there's worse in store." Whispered Scar, as again he dug his claws into her shoulders.

"Get the fuck off me!" She yelled, as Shenzi tried to writhe underneath Scar's grasp. However, Scar kept her still, his own strength much greater than a hyena's.

"Now if you keep still for this, it's going to hurt less." Said Scar.

"No! What are you doing?!" Shouted Shenzi, starting to panick. With a wicked sneer across his face, Scar started to drag his claws down Shenzi's side. Shenzi screamed from pain, as Scar cut her all the way down, staring from her shoulder, and ending at the hip. Blood gushed forward from the wound, staining the ground a dark red.

"God! Stop! _Please_ stop!" Pleaded Shenzi, with her eyes screwed shut from pain. She kept writhing, unable to stop the pain or to nullify it.

"It's far too late for that! About three years late! I asked for mercy too, but you gave _none_. I'm just returning the favor!" Laughed Scar, savoring her suffering.

"No! Please stop! Please!" Screamed Shenzi. However, Scar was not done. He took his right paw, and put it on Shenzi's throat, pushing down, depriving her of air. With the foreleg she had left, Shenzi tried to move the paw, but to no avail.

With her oxygen flow diminished greatly, she started wheezing. She desperately tried to get the needed air, and Scar let up on the pressure to just _barely_ allow the needed amount in. After all, if he choked her to death right now, it would end too soon, before he'd had his fun. Blood still dripped from her opened side, pooling beneath her and staining her back with her own blood.

Scar then took his other paw, and set it on her chest. With a laugh, he pushed down here too.

 _Snap_!

Shenzi let out another frantic gasp of pain, with one of her ribs broken.

 _Snap_!

Another rib cracked, another amusing sound.

 _Snap_!

Scar was really enjoying this, putting all of his hatred into the act. All those long years, leading up to his revenge. Then, he got off her, waiting to see what she would do.

Shenzi was still wheezing despite Scar having removed his paw. But despite all of her injuries, she slowly got up, managing the feat with only two working legs and a broken one. Scar watched her force her broken leg back into place as best she could, wheezing and gasping from pain.

She tried to stumble away, slowly making her way forward. But Scar could _hear_ the broken bones grinding against eachother, and he most certainly heard her cry out from pain. Nonetheless, her tenacity was something to be admired. That, or how desperate she was to get away.

Scar moved alongside her, and swung the back of his paw hard against her head. Shenzi was thrown sideways into the cave wall, hitting it with a painful thud.

Her eye now blackened, Shenzi curled up into a ball, crying incoherently with tears streaming down her face. Scar approached her slowly, savoring her cries. He grabbed her by the neck and roughly forced her back onto her back, with Shenzi screaming all the way.

He placed his paw with his claws extended next to her head, grinning. Shenzi realized what he meant to do.

"Oh god…. Scar…. Please….. Anything but that." She pleaded quietly, as more and more tears dripped down from her eyes. The words were choked, as she had trouble breathing.

"Anything?" Said Scar.

"Just don't….. Please don't!" Sobbed Shenzi.

"Well, I don't know. Being blind must be hard enough for you, but I could make it much harder, if you lost your hearing. I imagine you use sound, mostly, to get around?"

Shenzi nodded submissively, as she gasped for air and whimpered.

"Very well then, you'll keep your hearing. In that case, how about I run my claws back down through your side? Or maybe I'll break your jaw? Puncture one of your lungs?" Suggested Scar. With each of his statements, Shenzi started to cry harder, and harder.

She was very clearly in a lot of pain.

Good.

Scar chuckled to himself, and dug his claws back into her. She screamed, and shouted words that were so jumbled by her pain, that Scar couldn't even understand her.

"Scar! What are you _doing_!?" Exclaimed a voice from the mouth of the cave. Scar turned, snarling, not at all amused that he was interrupted. A small orange lioness stood there, with a horrified expression on her face. Scar frowned, unsure of who she was or where she came from.

"Who the hell are you?" Demanded Scar. Then, realization flooded into the lionesses expression.

"Listen Scar, that's not you. Snap out of it! Think about me, think about the cubs. Don't let this part of you take control." Said the lioness pleadingly.

Scar frowned, unsure of what the lioness was talking about. And who the hell was the lioness? Frustrated at his lack of knowing, Scar tried to think. Clearly, the lioness knew him. She had referred to him by his name.

So who was the lioness? Huh….

Nafasi! That was it!

As this thought entered his mind, he felt his hatred leave. Recognition also came, as his jealousy left. The clouded feeling disappeared, and suddenly he was unsure of what was going on.

Scar looked down at his own paws, which were covered in blood. Horrified he looked over at Shenzi, who was curled up in a pool of her own blood, crying incoherently and gasping from pain.

Oh god.

What had he done?

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(()()()

 **There's the next chapter. As for Shenzi, well…. Three broken ribs, a broken leg, a black eye, maybe a concussion, a large cut on all along her side, and possibly some lung injuries.**

 **Ouch.**

 **Well, it's a fanfiction crime to be following a story but not reviewing! Constructive Criticism accepted. No flaming!**


	8. Rest and Scent

**I'm back at this fanfic deal! Man, I love writing these! Anyhow, this a sequel to two of my stories, 'Scars of Redemption, and 'One Last Try.' The events of both shall be explored further here. But if you didn't read any of them, it doesn't matter, because anything relevant shall be explained here.**

 **If you see this: ()()()()()()()() it means the POV is changing. Don't worry, I'll say to whose POV it's changing to. Fun facts: Shenzi's name means pagan or uncouth, Banzai's name means brash, Ed's name means…. Well…. Ed, Macho's name (pronounced Maco, don't pronounce the ch sound) means vigilant or loyal, and Nafasi's name means chance. All these are in swahili.**

 **Well, on with the fanfic! And please, do leave this humble author a review.**

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(

Nafasi's POV

Nafasi set Shenzi down in the shallow part of the river, and watched the water wash the blood away. She kept Shenzi's head above the water, and used her other paw to help scrub the blood off. Shenzi passed out from either pain or blood loss a few minutes ago, so dragging her down to the river to wash her was easy.

Once she was done, she hoisted Shenzi onto her back to take her to the cave. Nafasi was surprised at how little Shenzi weighed, carrying her was simple. Of course, Shenzi looked starved, with her ribs showing and her skin clinging to her bones. Nafasi wondered when was the last time Shenzi ate.

Gently setting the unconscious hyena down onto the cave floor, Nafasi began to examine her. If she was going to heal Shenzi, she had to know everything that was wrong with her.

Shenzi was taking long, labored breaths, so her breathing must be restricted somehow. But no one was choking her anymore, so what was it?

Nafasi knew that the lungs had something to do with breathing, and that the lungs were protected by the ribcage. And Shenzi had three broken ribs. Perhaps Scar had damaged her lungs? If so, that was bad. Nafasi had no idea how to fix that problem. But for the moment, she would just try to relieve pressure off that area.

A little more blood oozed out of the cuts down Shenzi's side. Nafasi had set Shenzi down so that the blood wouldn't be able to flow out as easily. Blood was important, for whatever reason, and hopefully Shenzi hadn't lost too much. They were bad cuts too, but thankfully Scar hadn't gone in too deep.

Upon further examination, Nafasi was surprised to find that Shenzi was blind. Her eyes were milky white, and unresponsive to light. That had probably made it pretty easy for Scar to torture her. Along with her broken leg, which Nafasi had propped up carefully, Shenzi's left back leg was crippled, victim of some unfortunate accident.

She also had a nasty looking welt on her head, and a black eye. Scar must have had to hit her pretty hard for that.

All in all, one very miserable hyena.

Nafasi sighed. She figured Shenzi would survive, but there was a problem with the broken leg. It was really out of its correct position, and Nafasi didn't dare move it, lest she wake Shenzi up, or make it worse. But if they didn't try to put it back the way it was, it wouldn't heal correctly.

If it was even possible to do so. The area where it was broken was swollen, and the leg was bent awkwardly. Nafasi didn't know what to do.

Well, other than hope. There was always hope.

A few minutes ago, she had sent Scar off hunting. He would return with food in a few hours, and he had seemed eager to leave. He looked horrified when he realized what he had done, and very guilty. So when Nafasi suggested he go hunt, he was off in a flash, bounding into the forest.

Nafasi figured he just didn't want to have to see how bad it was.

Well, she would tell him when he got back. He needed to know, after all, since it was he that had done it. Scar was a special case though. Nafasi knew from personal experience that there simply were moments when the good side of him had absolutely no control over his actions. He had attacked her before, but never had the attack been quite as vicious as this one.

Why did the evil, uncontrolled side of Scar hate Shenzi so much? Scar had never told her what exactly happened to the hyenas after his rule on Pride Rock had ended. Perhaps they had something to do with that? But whatever the reason, it surely didn't warrant so many injuries on Shenzi.

Nafasi tried to make Shenzi as comfortable as possible, making sure she was lying a certain way. If she could alleviate pain in any way, she would be glad to do it.

"You'll get through this." Whispered Nafasi, as she looked down at Shenzi.

Suddenly, as if in response to her statement, Shenzi let out a cry of pain, with her eyes screwed shut. Nafasi jumped back in surprise.

"Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god! Shouted Shenzi, as she curled up into a little ball, a pathetic attempt to protect herself.

"No no! It's okay Shenzi, you'll be fine!" Assured Nafasi, acting quickly. Shenzi didn't respond, but started to shiver, and let out little cries of pain.

"I don't wanna…. I don't wanna…." Gasped Shenzi, clutching her head in between her forelegs, further bending the broken piece.

"No! Don't move Shenzi, you'll make it hurt…..".

"Don't hurt me!" She cried, as Nafasi said the word 'hurt'.

"No! I'm not going to hurt you Shenzi, trust me on this!" Said Nafasi. Still, Shenzi seemed to ignore her completely, as if she was unaware Nafasi was there. She just kept shivering, muttering things.

"I don't wanna do it…." She said.

"I'm not making you do anything." Replied Nafasi.

"Ohh….. god!" Cried Shenzi.

"Please Shenzi, stay still! You're going to make things worse!" Asked Nafasi worriedly. Then, miraculously, Shenzi stopped, and simply curled up into a little ball, shivering, and crying.

"There's no light at the end of the tunnel….. There's no light at the end of the tunnel….. There's no light at the end of the tunnel….." Sobbed Shenzi. Nafasi frowned, the sight of the hyena in such clear distress proving disarming for her.

"Listen Shenzi…. There _is_ a light at the end of the tunnel… You just have to make it that far." Said Nafasi.

"No light!" Cried Shenzi.

"Come on, there is a light. There's always a bright side." Replied Nafasi.

"There's no light at the end of the tunnel!" Sobbed Shenzi.

"Can you even hear me?" Asked Nafasi.

"When does it all end….." Cried Shenzi.

"I'll uhh….. Take that as a no… Well, I'll leave you alone then…." Nafasi backed out of the cave grimacing. It didn't look like Shenzi was even aware of Nafasi. Why was that? Nafasi walked away from the den, trying to ignore the things Shenzi was crying.

Well, hopefully she got better soon.

()()()()

A few hours later, Shenzi was asleep.

Nafasi was pretty sure Shenzi had gotten a concussion. She had kept whimpering about completely random things, and hadn't responded to Nafasi. Fortunately for her, Shenzi was now sleeping peacefully, getting rest she probably needed.

Nafasi had spent the last hours sitting on the beach, trying to get comfortable. Being a few days away from birth had swollen her belly, and was making it tricky to perform certain tasks, or to lie comfortably. She felt her belly, her thoughts returning to her unborn cub. What she had told Scar earlier was true, it felt as if though the cub was getting weaker. It was the same thing that had happened to two of her other cubs, and they had come out stillborn.

Hopefully it wouldn't happen to this cub.

Then, Scar came out of the forest, with the haunch of a zebra in his mouth.

"Hey Scar! Is that zebra?" Asked Nafasi, as she approached him.

"Yes." He replied shortly.

"How are you back so soon then? The nearest zebra herds are way over by that big gorge!" Said Nafasi.

"I ran. Zebra is Shenzi's favorite food, so I figured I would get some for her…" Replied Scar, his expression a bit guilty.

"Oh." Said Nafasi.

"Anyways…. Where is she?" Asked Scar, almost hesitantly.

"Oh… She's over here, follow me." Said Nafasi, as she got up, and walked to the den.

"How is she?" Asked Scar.

"You'll see. Now shhh! Be quiet, she's sleeping." Whispered Nafasi, as they went up to her sleeping form, her chest heaving up and down in wheezing, labored breaths.

"Is she alright?" Whispered Scar, his eyes wide.

"She'll survive, don't worry. But I don't think her leg is going to heal correctly." Replied Nafasi.

"What! But one of her back legs is already crippled! How is she supposed to walk?" Demand Scar.

"She'll still be able to walk, don't worry. But if it doesn't heal correctly, she just won't be able to do it very well." Answered Nafasi. Scar turned to look down at Shenzi.

"Oh Shenzi….. I'm sorry…." Said Scar quietly, looking guilty.

"Um…. I also think she got a concussion." Added Nafasi, unsure whether or not she should have mentioned it.

"A concussion? What makes you think that?!" Asked Scar, as he looked at Nafasi.

"Well… Earlier, when she was awake, she didn't seem to understand what I was saying to her. And she kept rambling on about different things. She actually mentioned you a few times as 'Taka'. And she mentioned her mother a lot. None of it really made much sense."

"But is she okay?" Asked Scar.

"Concussions heal over time. By tomorrow, she should be a lot better."

"What about her cuts?" Inquired Scar.

"Well, if she doesn't move very much, the gashes on her side will heal up completely in a few weeks." Replied Nafasi.

"I didn't mean to do any of this…" Whispered Scar, as he raised his foreleg, and began to stroke Shenzi comfortingly. Shenzi didn't wake up, or otherwise react to Scar's touch.

"Let's talk outside." Suggested Nafasi, as she backed out of the den. Scar stayed still, standing over Shenzi's body.

"I'll be right there." He responded.

Nafasi watched him stroke Shenzi, being very careful to not wake her up. Scar obvious cared for Shenzi, and he was mortified that he had done such an evil deed. Hopefully, things got better soon.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Banzai's POV

He, Fahama, and Ed were searching the area for any sign of Shenzi. They were circling the ravine, sniffing, and calling her name. If all went well, they would find her real soon.

"Hey guys! I found her scent!" Yelled Fahama, as she crowed in jubilation.

"Really? Where is it?" Asked Banzai, as he bounded over to Fahama.

"Right here! And it leads that way, further down the river." Fahama pointed west, grinning.

"Oh thank goodness. She's alive!" Said Banzai.

"And she's okay!"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(()()()()(

 **Sorry about the short chapter. Hopefully the next one will be longer. Anyways, Shenzi's doing better, and Banzai finally has her scent. Hopefully, he'll find her soon.**

 **Well, it's a fanfiction crime to be following a story but not review! Constructive criticism accepted. No flaming!**


	9. Discussion and Reunion

I'm back at this fanfic deal! Man, I love writing these! Anyhow, this a sequel to two of my stories, 'Scars of Redemption, and 'One Last Try.' The events of both shall be explored further here. But if you didn't read any of them, it doesn't matter, because anything relevant shall be explained here.

If you see this: ()()()()()()()() it means the POV is changing. Don't worry, I'll say to whose POV it's changing to. Fun facts: Shenzi's name means pagan or uncouth, Banzai's name means brash, Ed's name means…. Well…. Ed, Macho's name (pronounced Maco, don't pronounce the ch sound) means vigilant or loyal, and Nafasi's name means chance. All these are in swahili.

Well, on with the fanfic! And please, do leave this humble author a review.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(

Banzai's POV

"So which way does her scent lead?" Asked Banzai.

"Further down the river. She must have gotten confused, and gone the wrong way." Replied Fahama, as she stared along the beach.

"Well, we'd better hurry then!" Said Banzai. Fahama nodded, and took off running the way she had pointed.

"I'll scout ahead!" Shouted Fahama. Banzai turned to Ed.

"Ed, help me sweep the area. We can't miss her." He said. Ed nodded, his tongue swinging back and forth.

"We're coming Shenzi." Muttered Banzai, as he too set down the river.

()()()()()())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Scar's POV

Scar walked out of the den to Nafasi, who stood waiting for him in the sand.

"She's been hurt so badly…." Muttered Scar, feeling helpless.

"She has. But she'll heal. Those wounds aren't necessarily permanent." Soothed Nafasi

"The broken leg is. Those things are almost impossible to heal properly."

"Almost impossible. Not completely impossible." Said Nafasi.

"And her breathing! I damaged something inside of her, something that shouldn't ever be touched. How are we supposed to heal that? We can hardly cut her open to examine the damage!" Snorted Scar sarcastically. However, he he did not feel like joking.

"She'll survive. It's clear she's taken things just as bad before in her life. I don't think she's the type to give in to her troubles." Answered Nafasi.

"But her side, all along her side, speaking of cutting her open, I did just that! I probably scratched her ribs when I did it!" Said Scar.

She didn't lose too much blood. She'll make it." Said Nafasi.

"And her black eye, and the welt on her head, and the scratches on her shoulders…. All because of me!" Fretted Scar, extending and retracting his claws in frustration.

"Scar…. Listen, I know you feel guilty about all this, but remember, it really isn't your fault." Said Nafasi.

"No, it's all my fault. I couldn't control myself! I felt myself slipping away, getting angrier and angrier, and I didn't try to stop it! I was too upset about…. about our cub." Said Scar.

"The cub isn't dead yet Scar. And maybe I overreacted when I told you about it. There is still a chance it's going to make it." Said Nafasi. Scar looked up at her.

"You think so?" He asked.

"Yes. Scar, I've almost been a mother three times now. If I gave up hope now, I might as well be killing it. There's _always_ hope, you know that." Said Scar.

"I know… It's just that so far, I've squandered about half my life on foolish things like the throne, or bitter squabbling with my brother. Now, I want to have a cub. I want to give it a childhood that neither of us had. Your mother left you at six months old, and my own father tried to kill me. I want to be there when our cub catches its first mouse. I want to congratulate it when it says its first words. I want to tell it wonderous stories about the world, and give it something my father never gave me. I want to give it hope, happiness, and contentment. But if they keep dying, I'll never have that chance." Said Scar, with a sad expression.

"Scar, I want to have a cub too. But that's what I'm trying to tell you! You want to give your cub hope, but if you have none yourself, you have none to give. So take heart!" Nafasi urged.

"It's not just that. I didn't tell you about this Nafasi, but a few days ago, I had a dream, and my brother was in it." Started Scar.

"Mufasa? The one you threw into a gorge?" Said Nafasi.

"Ahhh….. Yes. That's the one. Anyways, he came to me in a dream, as his conscious self. He said he'd come from the stars, to give me a message." He paused, and looked at Nafasi for her reaction.

"Really? What did he say?" Asked Nafasi.

"Well, he told me that there were two events coming up, two events not of his own design, but ones that would test me nonetheless. And…. I think one of those tests was Shenzi." Scar swallowed.

"Oh…. You think so?" Replied Nafasi.

"Probably. And if it was one of the tests he described, I guess I failed. I failed miserably. And even worse than that, I don't know what the second test is. How am I supposed to complete any sort of test without preparation?" Said Scar.

"Well, just keep in control of yourself, and always do the right thing. That way, you can't go wrong." Suggested Nafasi, as she looked into Scar's eyes, serious.

"Well, I suppose so." Replied Scar.

"And if you need any help, ask me. I like to think I'm good at advice." Added Nafasi.

"Don't worry, I come to you for nearly everything anyways." Said Scar.

"You didn't tell me about Mufasa's visit."

"I guess I didn't. Maybe this could have been prevented if I had. But it's too late now. At any rate, it's much too late for Shenzi. Much too late." Scar sighed. "Well, come get me when Shenzi wakes up. I'll be in the forest." Scar then turned around, and walked into the foliage.

()()()()

"Hey Scar! Come here!" Shouted Nafasi, as Scar turned to look. He was sitting next to his cub's graves, trying not to further contemplate the events that had taken place. However, all he had done was further depress himself. It was at least a few hours later.

"What is it?" He asked.

Well….. She's awake." Nafasi responded.

"Oh. I'm coming." He said. He walked over to Nafasi, and the two of them began to make their way back through the forest.

"All right. Don't expect her to listen, or even act like she hears you. Try not to use any harsh words, because those rile her. And use a soothing tone of voice, to calm her down." Advised Nafasi.

"Got it." He replied, as they entered their den, grimacing.

Shenzi was once again curled up into the fetal position, her head between her paws. She was shivering, and the sound of her wheezing breaths could be heard from across the den.

"Hey Shenzi!" Nafasi said cheerfully, as she approached her. Immediately, Shenzi's breathing picked up, and she started to whimper, shaking from what could be presumed as either cold or fear.

Probably the latter.

"Don't worry, you're all right!" Said Nafasi, her voice falsely happy.

"Oh god….oh god…. I smell him… He's near!" Whimpered Shenzi frantically, her unseeing eyes open wide.

"He won't do anything bad to you, no one will. You are safe. Safe from all danger." Soothed Nafasi.

"He's near!" Repeated Shenzi, ignoring Nafasi.

"Shenzi, that's just the wind blowing in some old scent. Trust me, you're fine." Said Nafasi.

"Please don't let him hurt me…. Please don't let him hurt me!" Sobbed Shenzi.

"I won't let him touch you. Come on Shenzi, think happy thoughts. How are you feeling?" Asked Nafasi.

"Everything hurts… I can't breath….. The lights gone! Who turned the lights off? Who stole the sun?" Asked Shenzi, whimpering.

"The sun will come back." Said Nafasi.

"It's gone! The light, the sun, the stars….. They're gone! And it's… I smell him! He's gonna hurt me!"

"I won't hurt you." Blurted Scar suddenly, trying to help the situation. Unfortunately, it did the exact opposite.

"Oh god! Oh god, stay away! Stay away!" Shouted Shenzi, as her breathing increased further.

"No, Shenzi, I won't hurt you!" Repeated Scar.

"Stay back!" Yelled Shenzi, frantically, as she sudden began to move. Shaking, Shenzi started to get up, once again forcing her broken leg back into place best she could. As they watched, she let out a cry of agony, trying to back away from Scar.

"Don't move, you'll hurt yourself!" Exclaimed Nafasi, as she stepped forward to try to help. However, Shenzi didn't listen, the sound of her broken leg grinding unnaturally filling the cave.

"Shenzi please, lie back down!" Pleaded Nafasi.

"Don't hurt me!" Screamed Shenzi, her eyes shut.

"We won't!" Replied Scar, though the answer was ineffectual.

"Please don't…." Shenzi trailed off, as she reopened the wounds on her side. Blood began to flow out again, hitting the stones. Shenzi still stood however, gasping from the pain.

"Shenzi, lie down!" Demanded Nafasi.

"god! Stop it! Stop him from hurting me!" Pleaded Shenzi, apparently to no one in particular. Then, she slumped down, whimpering and crying. Scar and Nafasi could only watch as Shenzi lay on the ground, wheezing and otherwise reacting poorly to the pain. The pitiful sight of the broken hyena was made worse due to the fact that he could do nothing about it.

Then, he heard a gasp of horror, coming from the cave mouth.

He turned around in surprise, only to be greeted by an even larger surprise. There, staring at her Matriarch in horror, stood a female hyena, her eyes wide as she absorbed the scene.

Then, she saw Scar turn to look at her, and immediately, she bolted.

"No! Wait!" Yelled Scar, as he bounded outside in pursuit of the hyena. He rounded the cave's entrance just in time to see the hyena jump into the forest, disappearing between the bushes.

"What was that?" Asked Nafasi, as she hurried out of the den. She had not seen the hyena.

"Something bad." Muttered Scar, as he stared at the spot the hyena had disappeared.

Something very bad indeed.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Shenzi's POV

Shenzi was dreaming.

It was a much needed breath of fresh air. Being awake was awful, one of immutable pain and fear. Most of the time, she didn't know what was going on, and gave herself up to her instincts. Of course, that meant mostly whimpering while curled up into a little ball. Doing anything more, like controling her bodily functions, required concentration, and that eluded her completely.

But when she was asleep, she was in control of herself through her dreams. Not that things were much better here. Dreams were often affected by the state of the waking mind, and in her case, that didn't bode well.

It meant nightmares.

She was sitting in the Elephant Graveyard, and it was night. Once again, she was in control of herself, but this time it did her little good. She was tense, just waiting for something to pop up somewhere.

"Damn this entire setup." She muttered, as she got up, and walked through one of the ravines. Any second now, something would happen, and it certainly wouldn't be pleasant.

"Shenzi! Shenzi, where are you?" Came a pleading voice from behind her. Shenzi jumped, and whipped around to see Taka coming through the ravine behind her, searching for her. She gritted her teeth, and tried to mentally prepare herself.

"Hey Taka." She said as she approached him, scowling. Taka was clutching his eye, blood flowing down from it.

"Shenzi! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" Replied Taka, starting to smile, as he limped toward her.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Well…. I don't know, I just wanted to talk to my best friend!" Answered Taka. "You know, cause I'll be staying here awhile…." Taka trailed off, his expression souring.

"We'll take good care of you, no problem." Said Shenzi, the words like salt in her mouth.

"Shenzi… Do you think I'll ever see mom again?" Taka asked quietly.

"Uru? Sure, we'll sneak into the Pridelands soon, and you can talk to her. So long as Ahadi doesn't catch scent of us, we'll be fine." Replied Shenzi, doing her best to not be sarcastic. Taka frowned sadly.

"I hope so…. She probably misses me already. And I miss her." Said Taka.

"Uru misses you, that's for sure. It's not your fault Ahadi exiled you." Said Shenzi.

"Yeah, it's Mufasa's! He's the one that blabbed to Ahadi that you guys were my friends! It's his fault! Well, I hope he feels bad about it!" Muttered Taka, scratching the ravine floor in frustration.

"I'm sure he does. He didn't hate you, he just didn't know that Ahadi would get so angry." Replied Shenzi.

Taka was silent for a moment, so silent that Shenzi could hear the blood dripping from the wound that would one day become his scar. Then, he turned back to her.

"Shenzi…. You'll help me, won't you?" He asked quietly.

"Of course Taka, we'll always be there to help." Replied Shenzi.

Then, Taka's sad frown suddenly turned into a leer.

" _Hypocrite_." He whispered, as he extended his claws. Shenzi's eyes widened, and she backed away.

"Oh shit." She muttered.

"I heard you say it! Those exact words as the ones all those years ago. You said you'd always help me, and yet, fast forward this scene to that day on Pride Rock, and you'll do the opposite! You'll try to kill me, and renege on your promise! Well, we all know how that worked out." Sneered Taka.

"Fuck you! You're the traitor, not me!" Yelled Shenzi, as she continued to back away.

"That hardly matters! I think it's time to make things interesting!" As Taka spoke, the ravine began to undulate, shaking in an earthquake. Shenzi turned around and ran, as fast as she could.

"Stupid nightmares." She muttered to herself, as she jumped over widening holes beneath her feet. The sinister laughter grew louder, and as she glanced behind, Taka had changed form, and was now Scar, burned and bloodied. A seemingly infinite amount of blood seemed to pour from the gashes all over his body, as he laughed maniacally.

"You can't get away! I'm coming for you!" Yelled Scar, as he jumped through the air faster than ever would have been physically possible. He landed right in front of Shenzi, forcing her to skid to a stop.

"Leave me alone!" She demanded, as she stood on one of the few pillars of stone that hadn't yet fallen over.

"Too late for that!" Yelled Scar, as below them the red liquid began to rise, fueled from an unseen source.

"I said leave me alone!" Begged Shenzi, struggling to keep her balance atop the rocks. Scar only kept laughing, finding the whole situation hilarious in an exceedingly grim fashion. Shenzi looked around frantically. It didn't seem as if there was much of a way out. Steeling herself, Shenzi jumped of her pillar, and plunged into the red liquid.

For a few seconds, everything went dark.

Then, she opened her eyes to find herself sitting on the savannah, on a sunny day. Off in the distance, there were herds of wildebeest grazing peacefully, the evil laughter now gone.

"Where am I?" She asked herself.

"In a dreamscape, my dear sweet Shenzi." Responded a voice from off to her side. Shenzi turned to look, and to her surprise, saw her mother standing there right alongside Mufasa.

"What the hell!" She exclaimed.

"Don't worry my dear Shenzi, this isn't another nightmare. I just wanted to talk to you." Said Hatari, Shenzi's mother.

"Mom! Are you…. Are you real?" Asked Shenzi.

"I can assure you hyena, we are quite real. And like your mother said, she wanted to talk to you, and so here we are. I'm simply supervising." Answered Mufasa.

"In the stars, species live in much greater harmony than on the earth." Added Hatari.

Shenzi felt her legs grow weak.

"Oh mom! It's so good to see you!" She gushed, as she ran forward into her mother's embrace.

"It's nice to see you too my sweet." Soothed Hatari, as she stroked her daughter's fur. Shenzi looked up into her mother's eyes.

"I can't believe it's really you!" Said Shenzi, as she nuzzled Hatari, like she had done when she was a pup. Shenzi was so happy, she began to cry, but for the first time in years, they were tears of joy. Her mother was here! She would help her, she would know what to do!

"Shenzi…. I love you, my daughter." Replied Hatari.

Then, a horrible thought occurred to Shenzi.

"Mom, does this dream have to end? Are you going to leave?" She asked.

"All dreams end Shenzi." Replied Hatari.

"But are you going to leave?" She repeated.

"When this dream ends, yes." Answered Hatari.

"But… No! You can't leave me, I need your help!" Exclaimed Shenzi.

"Shenzi, you are one of the strongest hyenas I've ever seen. You've endured such hardship, more than nearly anyone else. You've given up so much to ensure the clan's safety, and yet you never ensured your own. That's a sign you're my daughter."

"But…. Why are you going to leave me?" Asked Shenzi.

"It isn't her choice. We try not to interfere too much with those who still live, so they can chose their own destiny." Explained Mufasa.

"But I need help! Mom, tell Mufasa you're going to stay!" Shenzi turned to her mother.

"He's right. I can't stay. But I came here to bolster you, to give you courage. So listen to what I have to say." Said Hatari

"Is it important?" Asked Shenzi.

"Yes." Replied Hatari.

"Well…. All right then." Said Shenzi.

"Like I said Shenzi, you are very strong. You've had to endure more than most animals. But know that your current situation will end eventually. Everything ends. And once your predicament is over, you'll need to be able to draw strength from more than just yourself." Explained Hatari.

"What do you mean?" Asked Shenzi.

"Your friend, Banzai will be able to explain, once he's ready. Just trust him. There are more feelings in this world than hate, and he'll be able to show you them."

"Is that it?" Asked Shenzi.

"Yes. Remember what I said, and you'll do fine."

"Are you going then?" Said Shenzi.

"Not if you want us to stay a bit more." Replied Hatari.

"But….. I want you to stay forever! Mom, I need you! I can't do it! You say I'm strong, but everything is becoming too much! How am I supposed to go on? I need you mom! I need you!" Pleaded Shenzi.

"My sweet, you can do it. Don't give in to your doubts." Although by now, Hatari was frowning sadly, despairing at the sight of her daughter floundering under the wieght of her burdens. Shenzi began to cry.

"I can't do it! Mom, it's too much! Everything gets worse and worse, and I can't even see the light at the end of the tunnel!" Sobbed Shenzi.

"Shenzi, please don't cry. I want to take care of you, it's just…" Hatari trailed off, looking guilty, and torn.

"Mom! When does it all end? When do the problems and the pain end?" Begged Shsnzi, as tears hit the grass below.

Hatari looked at Mufasa, who looked indescisive. Then, he nodded. Hatari turned back to Shenzi.

"Well….. How about now?" She said.

Then, she waved her paw.

And the dream ended.

.

.

.

.

.

.

But she didn't wake up.

()()()()()()()(()()()()()((()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(())()()()()()()()

 **I'll let this speak for itself. Leave a review! Guest reviews work great too! It helps meh confidence to write. Well, what are you waiting for?**


	10. Cowardice and Stars

**I'm back at this fanfic deal! Man, I love writing these! Anyhow, this a sequel to two of my stories, 'Scars of Redemption, and 'One Last Try.' The events of both shall be explored further here. But if you didn't read any of them, it doesn't matter, because anything relevant shall be explained here.**

 **If you see this: ()()()()()()()() it means the POV is changing. Don't worry, I'll say to whose POV it's changing to. Fun facts: Shenzi's name means pagan or uncouth, Banzai's name means brash, Ed's name means…. Well…. Ed, Macho's name (pronounced Maco, don't pronounce the ch sound) means vigilant or loyal, and Nafasi's name means chance. All these are in swahili.**

 **Well, on with the fanfic! And please, do leave this humble author a review.**

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(

Banzai's POV

Banzai and Ed were walking down the river, their eyes roving the shoreline and the rest of the beach. It was unlikely Shenzi would have strayed from the river, it would have been her guiding line to keep her on track.

"Shenzi?" Banzai called, as his voice echoed in the darkness. It was night time, the sun had just gone down about an hour ago. Banzai looked up into the stars, as they shone down onto the earth. Then, he frowned. One of the stars in the constellation that looked like a lion was shining brighter than normal. Usually you could barely make out that star, but now it shone brightly.

Meh, it didn't matter. Just another strange thing in the world he needn't care about.

Ed let out a yawn, signaling that he was a little tired.

"Buck up Ed, we're not sleeping until we find her." Said Banzai. Ed whimpered. "As your senior, you can't disobey me." Snickered Banzai. Ed let his ears droop in disagreement.

Suddenly, a sound from ahead alerted Banzai to someone approaching them

"Fahama? Is that you?" Called Banzai.

"Banzai! Banzai!" Shouted Fahama, as she ran towards them full tilt.

"Fahama, what is it? Are you being chased?" Asked Banzai, as Fahama skidded to a halt in the sand. She was breathing hard, a symptom of her exhaustion. After a few seconds of recovery, she turned to Banzai.

"No, I'm not being chased but Banzai…. I found Shenzi." She said.

"You did?! Where is she?" Exclaimed Banzai, a smile splitting his face. Oh thank goodness! Banzai had feared the worst, but now, all his fears could be put aside! She had been found!

"Further down the river, but Banzai….. Someone else found her first." Said Fahama, scowling hesitantly.

Banzai suddenly felt a thrill of fear run through him

"What do you mean?..." He asked slowly, his eyes wide.

"Well, she was in a den, and… There was blood on the floor. _Her_ blood, I think, and there were two lions, and they were _hurting_ her…. She was screaming, begging them to stop, but they didn't stop…. And then the male lion, an orange lion with a black mane noticed me, and so I ran, as fast as I could before he could catch me…. And now, here I am." Explained Fahama, grimacing.

"You saw that?" Asked Banzai quietly.

"Well…. Yes." Replied Fahama.

"You saw two lions hurting Shenzi?" Repeated Banzai.

"Yeah." Answered Fahama.

"Then answer me….. _WHY DIDN'T YOU TRY TO RESCUE HER?!_ " Screamed Banzai furiously.

"Well, there were two of them… And only one of me…."

" _YOU SAT THERE AND WATCHED? AND THEN, WHEN THEY NOTICE YOU, YOU RUN? ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?!_ " Yelled Banzai, unable to contain himself. Ed backed up a few steps.

"There were two of them, and one was a male! I can't fight that!" Replied Fahama, a bit taken aback.

 _"YOU SHOULD HAVE FOUND A WAY! SHE IS YOUR MATRIARCH! YOUR DUTY IS TO PROTECT HER! MACHO WOULD HAVE FOUGHT! ED, AS STUPID AS HE IS, WOULD HAVE FOUGHT! I WOULD HAVE FOUGHT!_ And you…. You fucking coward.. _YOU RAN_!" Screamed Banzai, his eyes wide and jaw agape in anger and disbelief.

"I'm sorry! But… They would have killed me!" Retorted Fahama.

" _THEN YOU WOULD HAVE DIED PROTECTING SHENZI!_ " Yelled Banzai, more angry than he had ever been before in his life. That Fahama had the _audacity_ to not immediately lay her own life down for Shenzi's was beyond him. It was every clan member's duty to do so, failure to try to protect the Matriarch elicited the worst punishments.

"I'm sorry Banzai! I know I screwed it up, but I figured I had to get back to tell you about it! If I didn't, there would be no chance of a rescue!" Replied Fahama.

"Fahama…. What if they kill her? What if she _dies_? I can't lose her!" Screamed Banzai desperately.

"I don't think they plan on killing her." Said Fahama.

"Oh yeah? And what makes you say that? Their _kindred spirits_?" Demanded Banzai, his sarcasm scathing Fahama.

"Well… They looked like they were making a game of it, amusing themselves by seeing her in pain. I don't think they're going to end their game so quickly. We've probably got a few more days until she really gets in trouble." Said Fahama.

"And what are they going to do to her in those few days? Huh? She's as fucking helpless as a newborn fawn! They can do whatever they want to her!" Screamed Banzai angrily. Fahama looked extremely guilty.

"Well…. My point is we don't know how many lions there are in total. There could be an entire pride I didn't see! We need backup! We need the rest of the clan!" Said Pleaded Fahama.

"The clan is miles downriver. How….. Exactly….. _ARE THEY GOING TO GET HERE IN TIME?_?" Yelled Banzai.

"I could run." Suggested Fahama. Banzai frowned, looking down at his paws. He shifted the sand back and forth a few times, musing over all the different possibilities. Fahama could very well be right. The three of them might not be enough, no matter how strong their resolve. If there were more lions, a party of three was screwed. The clan might very well be extremely important, if they were going to pull this off.

On the other hand, at this moment Shenzi could be under torture. Every second that went by here could be an eternity for her. Dammit, she could be dying as he thought here in the sand! He had to save her…. There was no way he could lose her.

Unfortunately, their best chance was what Fahama was suggesting.

"All right Fahama, you run. I don't care how tired you are right now, you are going to run all the way back to the clan. And when you get there, you have got fifteen minutes to rest, and to gather everyone up. Then, you get back here. If you don't stop, you'll make it back here by dawn. The sun just went down. You have the night to do it." Growled Banzai. Fahama nodded, a bit fearfully.

She turned around, and ran off into the darkness.

"You hear me? Back by dawn! Or there won't be a hyena who won't know of your cowardice!" Yelled Banzai after her. Beside him, Ed watched her go. He let out a little whimper.

"Don't worry buddy, we're going to save her." He said, with his teeth bared.

He couldn't lose Shenzi, not again.

Up above, the bright star blinked out.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Nafasi's POV

Nafasi tried to get comfortable on the sand. If there was one thing she hated about being pregnant, it was how much the bulge changed how you could sit. The other thing was the actual birthing itself, but that wasn't going to happen yet.

Actually, it was any day now. This being her fourth pregnancy, she was pretty good about guessing how long it would be. And for this one, it was pretty soon. Very, very soon. And the best part was, the cub wasn't dead yet! She could still feel it moving around inside of her! The movements were weak, yes, but she felt it was for the better if she didn't think about that part.

Earlier, she had sent Scar to get a special herb, one that would ease pain. Hopefully, it would help Shenzi the next time she woke up. Maybe then, they would be able to hold a full conversation with her, if she wasn't so focused on how much everything hurt.

She had only only recently remembered the herb, and it was rather unfortunate they had not thought of it sooner. But they hadn't had need of it for three years, so it's existence slipped their minds.

It was also imperative that they got Shenzi up and running again, because Scar had said that a hyena had seen Shenzi while she was convulsing and bleeding. And the fact that the hyena had ran meant that clearly it thought they were hurting Shenzi, and had been afraid that they could do the same to it. And if the hyena was from Shenzi's clan, there was a good chance there would be some sort of reprisal.

A clan of hyena attacking them was one of the last things they wanted, especially with Nafasi's condition, and Scar's mortal fear of their jaws. He didn't often talk of it or show it, but a few times he had told Nafasi that that time at Pride Rock still gave him nightmares from time to time. If the hyenas attacked, Scar might just simply run.

Shenzi was sleeping again. The stars shone down in all their majestic and crystalic glory. They were rather pretty to look at, and her mother had shown her all the different constellations. There was one that looked like a lion, one shaped like a monkey, a few that looked like lakes in the sky, and a special one that looked like it was a bird, swooping up above them.

The lion constellation was also pretty. It was very proud looking, and if you used your imagination, you could see its teeth bared, fighting off some unknown predator in the skies. Maybe it was trying to bite the bird for its lunch. Nafasi wasn't an expert at the behavior of star lions.

"Hey Nafasi!" Called Scar, as he bounded out of the forest.

"Hello Scar. Did you get the herb?" Asked Nafasi.

"Yes, three leaves." Replied Scar, as he raised his paw to show three leaves speared on his claws.

"That's enough, it's all we need." Said Nafasi, nodding. Scar walked up to her.

"How is our little cub doing?" He asked proudly, grinning, as he set his other paw onto her belly.

"He's still doing fine. Well, actually it could be a she, but I'm going to bet it's a male. A male with a nice, full black mane just like yours. And just as handsome as you." Said Nafasi, smiling.

"Perhaps, but if it's a girl, it's going to be just as beautiful as it's mother." Replied Scar, as he looked over at Nafasi, a sly grin on his muzzle.

"You know it will be." Said Nafasi flirtatiously.

"Well, I'm going to give the herbs to Shenzi. Does she have to be awake for this?" Asked Scar.

"Yeah, or she won't be able to swallow the leaves. But don't ask me how cooperative she's going to be." Said Nafasi.

"Well, she's going to take them, they're good for her." Replied Scar, as he turned around and marched into the den. Nafasi turned back to looking at the stars, taking in the huge expanse above her.

How very pretty the stars all were.

"Nafasi….. _Nafasi_!" Called Scar suddenly, sounding distressed. Nafasi turned her head quickly, to see Scar gaping at Shenzi, who hadn't yet made a sound.

"What is it?" She asked quickly.

"There's something wrong with Shenzi!" He replied, his eyes wide. Nafasi did her best to hastily get up, and lumbered over to Scar. He was shaking Shenzi, trying to wake her up, but ineffectually. Then, Nafasi realized something that almost made her heart stop.

The usual wheezing sound of Shenzi's breath could not be heard.

Nafasi looked to Shenzi's chest, and she saw that the normal rise and fall of her chest was absent. She put her head right up next to Shenzi's ribcage, pressing her ear so that she could listen to the heart.

There was no heartbeat.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

 **How dare I? I mean, such a mean thing to do! Both to Shenzi and to her fans! But you needn't worry just yet, the story isn't over.**

 **But even so…**

 **My own audacity!**

 **Well, leave a review if you care about Shenzi! Guest reviews work fine too.**


	11. Confusion and Nausea

**I'm back at this fanfic deal! Man, I love writing these! Anyhow, this a sequel to two of my stories, 'Scars of Redemption, and 'One Last Try.' The events of both shall be explored further here. But if you didn't read any of them, it doesn't matter, because anything relevant shall be explained here.**

 **If you see this: ()()()()()()()() it means the POV is changing. Don't worry, I'll say to whose POV it's changing to. Fun facts: Shenzi's name means pagan or uncouth, Banzai's name means brash, Ed's name means…. Well…. Ed, Macho's name (pronounced Maco, don't pronounce the ch sound) means vigilant or loyal, and Nafasi's name means chance. All these are in swahili.**

 **Well, on with the fanfic! And please, do leave this humble author a review.**

 **Also, you know how the previous chapter was pretty dark? What with Shenzi dying and all? Well, this chapter will be the exact opposite of that.**

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Shenzi's POV

Many, many miles away, further than any earthbound creature could have ever conceived of as possible, stood a hyena, gawking in surprise and horror.

"Mom….. What did you just do?" Asked Shenzi, almost fearfully.

"I've ended all of your suffering, all of your pain! You needn't worry about any of that anymore Shenzi, because it's all over. There is no more worrying, there is no more torture, no more deaths, no more difficulties, no more pain!" Replied Hatari, smiling happily.

"And that means….?" She asked.

"Shenzi…. You're dead."

Shenzi stared at her mother, her eyes wide.

"You mind running that statement by me again?" She said shakily.

"Sure. You're dead. You're here in heaven, up in the stars! And it's great here Shenzi, here, there exists nothing but love and happiness!" Said Hatari.

"That sounds…. Incredibly cliché." Said Shenzi, as she examined her paws, trying to see if they were transparent.

"Maybe to you, you're a new arrival. But Shenzi, doesn't it feel great?"

"No! Why would it feel good at all?! You…. You killed me!" Exclaimed Shenzi, starting to panic.

"Shenzi, why are you overreacting? There's nothing bad here, this is the best thing that's ever happened to you!" Asked Hatari, confused at Shenzi's reaction.

"Mom, that's just it! You killed me! I wasn't done yet, I still had things to do! You…. You yourself told me that there was something more, that Banzai had yet something to show me. But how am I supposed to do any of those things… If I'm dead?!" Yelled Shenzi, starting to get angry.

"Well… You said you couldn't do it… So I figured I would end it for you." Replied Hatari.

"I said I needed your help to get through it! Jeez mom, what does it take to interpret your own daughter's words correctly? This is… This is a fucking disaster!" Said Shenzi.

"You'll be happy here Shenzi, isn't that all you need?" Asked Hatari.

"No! You had something I haven't yet experienced, otherwise I wouldn't have been conceived. And I'm fairly certain that's what you meant when you mentioned Banzai…. I'm also fairly certain he would be more than willing to cooperate. And also….. I might have felt it too." Shenzi dropped off on a whisper.

"Well, Shenzi…"

"But you took that chance from me! Why mom… Why?" She asked.

"Shenzi…. I simply couldn't see you under so much pain! It hurt me as well, to see you like that." Explained Hatari.

"Really? Well I think this place has made you _weak_. Where's the Matriarch I knew, the one that forged ahead under any cost? Where's the Matriarch that put the best of the clan ahead of her own? You… You said you couldn't see me under such suffering, but the clan needs their Matriarch! I am the only one with the training to be the leader, training I received from you! You should know better! I would have survived! It would have sucked, yes, but I would have survived!" Said Shenzi, exasperated. Hatari scratched the back of her neck, looking guilty.

"Well, I was just trying to help you…" Said Hatari.

"Mom, you're different than what I remember. I bet it's this place. If there is no conflict up here, you let yourself get soft. Well, I can assure you, I'm not going to let that happen to me." Shenzi turned around, and started to walk away. "But I still love you, nothing's going to change that." She called back in a whisper.

Shenzi looked around taking in the scenery around her for the first time. It was a wide, open savannah, with trees dotting the landscape. There were herds of animals of in the distance, but Shenzi doubted they had to fear being hunted. She didn't feel hungry right now, and she doubted she ever would.

If she really was stuck here.

"Shenzi, wait for me!" Called Hatari, as she ran up next to her daughter. Shenzi scowled.

"Stay away from me, all right? I'm going to figure out how to get out of this place." Muttered Shenzi, not looking at Hatari.

"Shenzi, there is no way out. This is heaven! This is the stars! Enjoy yourself, because here, you can!" Urged Hatari.

"I don't need your help mom! I've had enough of it!" Barked Shenzi irritably, as she sped up to a trot. Suddenly, a new voice entered their conversation.

"Shenzi? Is that you?" Said a surprised voice. Shenzi turned to look, and to her own surprise, saw Sarabi.

"Sarabi!" Snarled Shenzi, as she unsheathed her claws. Sarabi backed up, her expression one of confusion. Shenzi narrowed her eyes, growling. She had completely forgotten that there would be other lions here as well. How the hell did anyone get along if these two species were living next to each other in the afterlife?

"What's the problem?" Asked Sarabi, as she stared at Shenzi.

"What do you mean? Stay back, you filthy lioness." Growled Shenzi, baring her teeth.

"What for?" Asked Sarabi.

"Well…. Because I frankly don't feel like getting injured again." Replied Shenzi, also getting confused by Sarabi's reaction.

"What do you mean by injured? You can't get injured here, and I certainly wouldn't be the one to do it." Replied Sarabi.

"You wouldn't fight me!? But…. We hate each other!" Exclaimed Shenzi.

"We used to hate each other. Past tense. There's no need for hate if we're both already dead." Said Sarabi, smiling.

"That's not… No, you're insane." Stuttered Shenzi, feeling caught completely off guard.

"Nope. Just logical. We can't hurt each other, and there's nothing at stake. So fighting is completely pointless. And come on Shenzi…. Don't you feel at peace?" Asked Sarabi.

"At _peace_!? Why would I feel at _peace_? I just died! Why would that ever make me feel at peace?" Snorted Shenzi.

"What kind of question is that?" Said Sarabi, looking confused again. Shenzi glanced at Hatari, who seemed to share Sarabi's befuddlement.

Everyone was acting so weird.

"Wait, Shenzi, you mean you didn't feel calm or anything like that when you died?" Asked Hatari, suddenly joining their conversation.

"How about hell no?" Replied Shenzi.

"That's….. Strange." Reacted Sarabi.

"What, is every creature supposed to feel calm or something after they die? Cause I don't know about you, but I think it would be quite the opposite." She remarked.

"No, it really is strange. Everybody experiences a feeling of peace when they die, and being here allows us to utilize it. It's mostly why no one fights here. No one has their hate anymore." Explained Sarabi.

"Well maybe it's simply because I didn't want to die." Said Shenzi, as she rolled her eyes impatiently.

"No, even if you wanted to live, you still have it. It should be unavoidable…." Said Hatari.

"I guess I'm special." She remaked sarcastically, as she went on. "But in any case, is everybody here then peaceful? You can throw insults at them, and they won't insult you back?" She asked.

"No one here insults another." Replied Sarabi.

"I just did. I called you a filthy lioness. And you didn't fight back. Well, I guess I answered my own question. I have a few lions to talk to." Said Shenzi, finding herself grinning.

"What would you say to them?" Asked Hatari, as she surveyed her daughter.

"Just some things I've been waiting to say ever since they stuck me in a rotten decaying Graveyard." She replied, as she turned around and walked away.

"Hey… Wait, don't do that!" Cried Hatari, and Shenzi immediately sped up to a sprint. She easily kept up the pace, feeling none of the fatigue that would normally beset her. Letting put a little laugh, enjoying the exhilaration of speed without and sort of hampering. It felt incredibly good.

As she bounded over a hill, she saw a group of male lions sitting in a half circle, discussing whoever the hell knew what. But it didn't matter, she needed information from them. And if Sarabi's behavior was any indication, they would be more than willing to give it.

Skidding to a stop in front of the lions, she turned towards them.

"Hello my unkempt feline friends, I ain't sorry to bother you, but do any of you know where I might find the lion known as Mohatu?" She asked innocently. One of the lions perked up.

"If you're reffering to the former king, I am he." Replied a lion with a bright yellowish mane, a lot lighter than the red manes she was used to. He looked a bit different than she had imagined, but it didn't change what he had done.

"Oh! So you're The cockbiting douchebag who threw the hyenas out of the pridelands! I'm glad I've finally met you! Well now, here's a statement on behalf of all the pups you killed through starvation. Fuck you! And cya later!" And with that, Shenzi turned around and and continued to run full tilt through the open plain.

She glanced back, grinning, in time to see Hatari mouth a quick 'sorry' to the confused lions. She looked ahead, and saw many more lions clustered around a watering hole, with dense clumps of trees surrounding it. And to her mild surprise, there were a lot of hyenas too. She saw no prey animals.

"Shenzi, come back!" Called Hatari, but Shenzi continued on.

This time, she would try to find Ahadi.

Ahadi was a bastard, through and through. He had only ever had love for Mufasa, and had neglected Taka to the point of abuse. And more importantly he hated, absolutely hated hyenas. Now, Shenzi would have the advantage for the first time.

She arrived at the water hole, and disappeared amongst the trees. Hatari wouldn't be able to find her now. Making her way through the foliage, she stumbled upon a clearing, with two lionessess in it.

"Hello there." Said one, as she saw Shenzi approach them.

"Yeah, hi. Have either of you seen a lion called Ahadi? He's got a black mane, and he looks like a brute?" She said describing him brusquely.

"Ahadi? You're lucky, today's one of his few off days. He's at this watering hole actually. He likes to hang out by himself, for whatever reason. He's over that way." Said one of the lionesses, as she pointed in a direction.

"Okay then." Replied Shenzi, as she went off the way the lioness pointed.

"You're welcome!" They called after her, as she pushed her back out of the clearing.

"Airheads." She muttered.

She exited the mini forest, and walked over to another one, exactly where she had been directed. She entered another clump of trees, and found herself in yet another clearing. Only this time, it contained the lion she was lookin for.

"Ahadi!" She exclaimed with over exaggerated exuberance. The dark lion turned to look at her.

"Hello hyena. What's your name?" He asked, an eyebrow cocked.

"My name? Oh, that's thoroughly unimportant." She replied, grinning. It seemed Ahadi was just as docile as everyone else. Perfect. This would be revenge for all those times she had to poach just to survive, and for all those pups that had died. This here was something she had been waiting to do forever.

But since they couldn't hurt one another, she would have to do this differently. Fortunately for her, she figured discomfort would work perfectly.

"Is it?" He replied.

"Oh….. Yes. And besides, my name would mean nothing such as you. You were once a king, weren't you?" She said, smiling innocently.

"Well, yes. King of Pride Rock." He said, with just a little hint of pride in his voice.

"Really? That's very interesting, was it hard being king?" Asked Shenzi.

"There were duties that had to be performed." He answered.

"What type of duties?" She inquired.

"Maintaining the Pridelands. Making sure herds were kept safe. Hunting for food. Offering advice to the animals that needed needed help." He replied.

"And I'm sure that lots of animals came to you for help! I mean, you're probably rather wise, what you had to say was important!" She said. Of course, in reality Ahadi hadn't handled the Pride Lands rather well. Shenzi had hated Mufasa, but he certainly did do his duties better than Ahadi. And as for Ahadi's advice? Shenzi had heard some of it from Taka, and she was sure it was all Uru's doing, whispering answers into his ear.

"I suppose it was, yes." He said, with a little smile on his face.

"Anyways… So how has the afterlife been treating a king like you?" She said, drawing closer to him.

"It's been fine. What everybody else gets, anyways." He said.

"And how do you feel about losing most of your emotions? I mean, it seems everybody here is pretty docile. They're simply happy, no one is…. Passionate." Grinned Shenzi, as she drew up right next to him. He looked at her with confusion.

"Well, I suppose not, but like you said, everyone here is happy. It certainly is a good way to spend the rest of eternity, after the cruel harshness of life." He responded. Huh. It seemed he still had no clue as to what she was alluding to. Oh well, he was going to get it. Real soon.

"That's all well and good, but surely you miss some things from life. Certain… Desires." She said, her voice unnecessarily rich.

"Like what?" He asked.

"Oh come on… Every male has these desires. And only females can settle them, unless I'm wrong. Surely, after all these years in the afterlife, you feel them to some extent!" She said her eyes glinting.

"Oh. So you're reffering to mating." He said, a bit matter of factly.

"Hell yeah big boy. Now, I'm certain you would like that sort of thing settled soon…. Very soon." Shenzi then jumped up onto Ahadi's back, gripping onto his fur. She leaned forward to whisper something into his ear. "In fact, how about now?" She said mischievously.

"Wait…. You're not!"

"Yes." She said, as she jumped off his back to look him in the eyes. And she wasn't disappointed. He was actually turning green. Getting nauseous! Well, at least that was possible in heaven.

"If you'll excuse me." He said shortly, as he walked out of the clearing away from Shenzi. She grinned wider than ever, as she followed him from a short distance back.

She poked her head out of the trees to see Ahadi _throwing up_ into the watering hole, with other animals giving him rather strange looks.

"What a sucker!" She whispered to herself, as she chuckled. It had worked! She started to laugh harder, retreating back into the forest to keep from drawing attention to herself. She let out full on barks of laughter, laughing harder than she had ever thought possible.

"Hey Banzai! Did ya see that? Did you see how green he looked when he…" Suddenly Shenzi faltered. Banzai wasn't here.

Oh.

She had…...forgotten that.

()()()()()()()(())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

 **Well, that was, in fact, a chapter.**

 **And please, nobody leave a review questioning the behavior of the creatures in the afterlife. Because I realize there are some discrepancies.**

 **Anyways, leave a review if you liked this chapter. Guest reviews work too. Constructive criticism accepted. No flaming!**


	12. Surprise and Alone

**I'm back at this fanfic deal! Man, I love writing these! Anyhow, this a sequel to two of my stories, 'Scars of Redemption, and 'One Last Try.' The events of both shall be explored further here. But if you didn't read any of them, it doesn't matter, because anything relevant shall be explained.**

 **If you see this: ()()()()()()()() it means the POV is changing. Don't worry, I'll say to whose POV it's changing to. Fun facts: Shenzi's name means pagan or uncouth, Banzai's name means to lurk, Ed's name means…. Well…. Ed, Macho's name (pronounced Maco, don't pronounce the ch sound) means vigilant or loyal, and Nafasi's name means chance. All these are in swahili.**

 **Well, on with the fanfic! And please, do leave this humble author a review.**

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Scar's POV

You mean she's _dead_?!" Whispered Scar, horrified.

"It looks that way, yeah." Gulped Nafasi, trying not to meet Scar's eyes. There was an uncomfortable pause.

"How?" He asked.

"I don't know, perhaps the condition in her lungs got worse, and she wasn't able to get enough air. Or maybe she simply just lost too much blood, and it finally got to her." She explained. Scar simply stared at her deceased body, unmoving. Then, he approached her, a blank look of hopelessness on his face.

"This isn't… Shenzi. I…. It's all my fault. Forgive me." He whispered, looking distraught.

"Scar…. I didn't know Shenzi at all… But I'm sorry." Said Nafasi.

"I killed her… Why did I kill her?" Whispered Scar.

"It wasn't your fault." Said Nafasi.

"I lost control. It's all my fault. I couldn't stay calm. If I had just stayed myself…. It could have been stopped."

"Don't say things like that." Suggested Nafasi, putting her paw onto his shoulder.

"I was the one that cut her open! I was the one that crushed her ribcage, and made her scream! And her screams! Oh, Nafasi, her screams!, she was trying to beg me to stop, but I didn't, and I couldn't even understand her, that's how much she was hurting! It was all garbled, she knew she was doomed from the start! But she tried, she tried to escape, desperately trying to get away, but I didn't let her go! Completely helpless, she couldn't even run properly! She was crippled! How much pain had she been forced to endure before I put her through the ultimate hell?.

"Scar…. We can talk about this, if you want." Offered Nafasi.

"Talk?" He said, his voice barely a wisp in the air.

"Yes. It wasn't your fault. So you mustn't get disheartened by it." Said Nafasi.

"Nafasi…. It _was_ my fault, I killed her!" He said, starting to breathe harder.

"Scar, please. Listen to me! Calm down, and just listen to me." She pleaded.

"Calm down… Calm down? I…. I'm plenty calm, Nafasi! I'm not upset!" He said, eyes wide.

"Then listen to me. We can bury Shenzi in a few hours, before she…. ahem, Starts to rot. And if you want, we can put her next to the cubs, and we can remember her as well along with the cubs every time we visit them." Said Nafasi. Scar stared down at Shenzi's body, looking helpless.

"All right…. Let's go dig the grave. But…..leave her body here, I can't….. I can't look at it." Whispered Scar. Then, he got up, and walked out of the cave, and disappeared into the darkness. Nafasi, steeling herself for the walk, got up, and followed him.

Hopefully all this drama would fade quickly, she was very, very close. The cub wouldn't wait, when it wanted out, it came out. And hopefully, it would survive being born.

Up above, the stars shone coldly down, glinting in the dark canvass that was the night sky.

()()()()()()()()()(()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Banzai's POV

Banzai paced back and forth in the sand, muttering anxiously to himself. Ed stood by, keeping quiet, and watching Banzai. It had been a few hours since Fahama's departure, and he was getting worried.

Not about Fahama by any means, she wouldn't arrive for quite awhile yet. He had given Fahama until dawn, but he now realized that was completely unrealistic. Unfortunately for him, an arrival before noon wouldn't happen.

Ed have a little whimper,

"I know Ed! I know!" Yelled Banzai, unable to contain his frustration. Ed whimpered again, changing his tone to signify what he meant. It was a series of a strange language indecipherable to all but he and Macho.

"I know she's in danger, all right? It's just…. I don't know what to do!" Said Banzai, kneading the sand between his paws. Ed growled.

"We need to wait for more hyenas to arrive, I certainly can't win against two lions! And if there's more than two lions, I might not even be able to outrun them. If I went alone, I'd be screwed." Replied Banzai. In response, Ed whimpered again.

"What if I went secretly? Like, on a scouting trip? That's a horrible idea Ed! What if a lion saw me?" Retorted Banzai. Ed giggled.

"You mean the lions are sleeping? Well…. Actually, the lions are sleeping! You're right Ed, they would be asleep! I could go there, and me and Shenzi could sneak away! Yeah…. I could do that!" Said Banzai, realizing he suddenly had a plan. Ed giggled in agreement.

"All right, I'll be back soon, and if Fahama arrives, she'll surely have brought Macho as well, right? Tell him what I'm doing. And tell them to wait a bit for me, if I'm not back yet. Cya soon!" Said Banzai, as he ran off down the river, fast as he could. However, he still could not ignore the gnawing feeling of worry in his stomach.

Oh god, he had better not be too late.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Shenzi's POV

Shenzi walked out of the trees, frowning sadly.

Banzai wasn't here.

Ed, Fahama, and Macho weren't here.

None of her friends were.

She really was dead.

"Oh, why did this have to happen to me?" She muttered, as she went up to the water hole. Of course, she was careful to avoid the part filled with Ahadi's vomit. She had no desire to drink any of that, no sir.

She bent down, and lapped up the coolest, clearest water she had ever tasted. She hadn't been thirsty, and she doubted she ever would be, but the water felt so good. It was of a quality she could never have hoped for from the puddles they drank from in the graveyard.

Everything here did seem a lot better than it did on the earth. But it also felt hollow somehow, as if she was missing something, something rather important. Shenzi got up, and walked away from the water hole. Behind her, she could hear her mother's voice, piercing the tranquility of the area, as she looked for Shenzi.

"Has anyone seen my daughter, Shenzi?" Hatari asked lionesses and hyenas that sat around in groups. Of course, none of them answered yes, none of them would be able to recognize her. She was, after all, a new arrival.

She walked up onto a deserted hill, parting the grass in front of her as she moved. When she reached the top, she looked around at all that lay in front of her, a seemingly endless stretch of savannah that spread out as a home for all the creatures who had moved on.

But if Shenzi had moved on, why did she feel none of the peace everyone else seemed to have? Everyone else had truly moved on, in mind as well as spirit. But here sat Shenzi, hating her situation even more with every second that went by.

"Damn this entire place!" She yelled, her anger suddenly getting the best of her. "And who runs it anyways?" She demanded into the air, venting her steam.

As she uttered her second sentence though, a whirling cloud appeared in front of her. Eyes wide, Shenzi stepped back, taken by surprise at the appearance of the shining forms. As the cloud dissipated, littler parts took form into animals, most of which she didn't recognize at all. But she certainly recognized the lions, who stood at the front of the entire procession.

After a few more moments, the cloud animals stopped whirling, and took on a more solid, glowing shape. Shenzi looked, and saw some hyenas next to the lions, all females compared the male felines.

Silence reigned.

"So…. Are the great Kings of the Past here as well?" She asked, making the first move. She was also a little taken aback, their appearance was a little worrying.

And since they did seem to be the leaders of the afterlife, perhaps she should tread….

Carefully.

"Go fuck yourselves!" She yelled, unable to take the silence.

Shenzi could almost feel the concentrated glare of the cloud animals.

She gulped.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Banzai's POV

What couldn't have been more than a half hour or so later, Banzai stumbled upon Shenzi's scent.

It was a little old, perhaps a day or so. But still recent. It meant he was close, very close. Banzai looked around, staying vigilant for any signs of lions. But so far he had gotten lucky. Other than their foul smelling scent, there was no physical signs of his enemy.

He advanced forward slowly, taking care to be quiet. If the lions were asleep, the last thing he wanted was to wake them up. Stealth would be paramount for this mission. He walked over the sand, glad that the grains muffled his pawsteps.

Following the trail, Banzai came upon a den, in which both Shenzi's scent and the lion's grew stronger. Strangely, one of the smells was rather familiar, it was something Banzai recognized. But he didn't expend any energy on pondering it, what he was doing now was far more important.

Entering the den, Banzai checked for sleeping bodies. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the den, Banzai felt his heart leap with joy. There were no lions in the den, but there, in front of him, was Shenzi!

"Shenzi!" He cried as loudly as he dare whisper, as he lept forward wake her up. Skidding to halt next to her, he reached out his paw, and shook her, grinning as he did so.

She didn't move.

"Shenzi! Wake up!" He whispered, as he glanced around for any signs of lions that could be returning to their den.

She still made no movement, nor uttered any sound.

"Shenzi?" He said, redirecting his attention back to his friend. He put his paw on her, and for the first time, an awful, horrible feeling began to congregate in his stomach.

She was cold.

Banzai scowled, and he put his head up to her chest quickly, suddenly seized with the desire to know, to put his questions to rest. Fear rang through him, as he pressed his ear to her ribcage.

She was not breathing.

Her heart as silent.

Banzai drew back, his eyes wide, a cold, clammy fist squeezing his heart. No, what he had just felt was not possible. His sense had to be lying to him, they had to be! What he had just seen was too horrible, too horrific to be true!

Shenzi couldn't be….. Dead, could she?

"Oh god…." Whimpered Banzai, as he put his paw back onto Shenzi's back. She was….. Cold.

No warmth lay in Shenzi's body, she had none to give, and she never again would have any to give. Banzai looked into her eyes, her expression still caught up in a grimace. She had died in awful pain, a death as worse as it could get.

She was… Dead.

"Oh god!" Cried Banzai, tears welling up in his eyes, as the realization came true, hitting him like a wave of hate. Shenzi was dead! Dead! Dead and gone, gone forevermore from Banzai's grasp!

He had never told her so many things, that he loved her, that he loved her ever since he had laid eyes upon her when they were pups! And he had never had the courage to look her in the eye and confess all that he needed to say! A damned coward he was! Why hadn't he told her! Why hadn't he just told her?

"Oh god, Why? Why why why!?" He cried.

Who the hell care if she had rejected him, anything would have been better than this cold feeling of regret, the feeling that clawed him worse than any lion's jaws could do!

"Shenzi! Oh god…. I loved you! I loved you from the start, and I never told you!" He cried, tears flowing freely from his eyes.

It was horrible! Shenzi was cold, and he…. He was still warm! Shenzi was the one who deserved to still have the warmth of life inside of her! She was the one who never gave up! She was the one who had sacrificed so much for hyenas who never truly gave back on the scale she had.

And he….. He was nothing but a pathetic fool who had never achieved anything in his life!

"I'll give you warmth Shenzi… I'll give you what I have….." He sobbed, curling up next to her limp body. His tears were starting to make her fur wet, but she wasn't here to feel it.

Gone!

Gone forever…..

All the things they had done together, all the happy memories of their puphood…. All things he would treasure forever. He would never forget her, never.

As the night wore on, Banzai stayed with his childhood friend, curled up next her, sobbing harder than he had ever done before, his emotions piercing his heart.

Gone!...

()()()()()()(())()(()()()()()()())()()())()()(()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(()()()()()()

Fahama's POV

Fahama tried to get her stomach under control, which was being mutinous after sprinting nonstop through the night. She had ran faster than ever before, and the sun had only come up a few hours ago. She had stitches in her side, and she was extremely short of breath.

When they had arrived, Ed had explained where Banzai had gone, and what he was trying to do. It was obviously a bit risky, but if it worked, it would be brilliant. There would be no real need for the twenty hyenas Fahama had brought back with her, who were standing around next to the beach.

Ed also took credit for the idea, but Fahama was a bit suspicious as to how true that part was.

As she stood, waiting for something to happen, Banzai suddenly appeared out of the morning fog, walking slowly, plodding towards them with his head down, and his tail hanging between his feet.

Something was wrong.

"Banzai! Banzai, what is it?" She asked, as she ran up to him. Banzai stopped walking, and stood still, his eyes closed.

"Banzai! What happened?" Asked Macho, as he came up next to Fahama. Banzai suddenly looked up at them, his eyes filled with fury, and his teeth bared.

"What _happened_? You want to know what _happened_?" He growled, his voice filled with malice.

"Well… Yes." Replied Fahama, a sudden thrill of fear running through her.

"Shenzi is _dead_. They cut her open, and killed her. And now, her body lies stone cold on the sand, as dead and unmoving as it can get." Growled Banzai.

"Shenzi's…. Dead?" Echoed Fahama and Macho, their eyes wide, completely caught by surprise. They stared at Banzai, demanding further explanation, but unable to say it.

"Wha…. What do we do now?" Whispered Macho.

Banzai suddenly grinned, baring his teeth in a sinister smile, his eyes glinting red. On the whole, his expression made Fahama rather uncomfortable.

"What do we do now?" Chuckled Banzai, sneering evilly, his laughter unnatural.

"We _kill the lions_."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(()()()()()()()()

 **REVIEW ALL YA'll!**


	13. Dark Stars and Timing

**I'm back at this fanfic deal! Man, I love writing these! Anyhow, this a sequel to two of my stories, 'Scars of Redemption, and 'One Last Try.' The events of both shall be explored further here. But if you didn't read any of them, it doesn't matter, because anything relevant shall be explained.**

 **If you see this: ()()()()()()()() it means the POV is changing. Don't worry, I'll say to whose POV it's changing to. Fun facts: Shenzi's name means pagan or uncouth, Banzai's name means to lurk, Ed's name means…. Well…. Ed, Macho's name (pronounced Maco, don't pronounce the ch sound) means vigilant or loyal, and Nafasi's name means chance. All these are in swahili.**

 **Well, on with the fanfic! And please, do leave this humble author a review.**

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Shenzi's POV

Shenzi gulped.

The silence was deafening.

Ironic, really.

"And who might you be?" Asked a voice from amongst the delegation in front of her, but the tone didn't sound angry. If anything, it sounded amused even! In fact, as Shenzi searched the faces of the creatures, none of the, looked put off. Most of them were smiling, or at least looked calm. They did not look as if they had just been insulted

Shenzi turned towards the voice to answer.

"Who am I? I'm a hyena! And a Matriarch at that!" She replied, unsure of who exactly had addressed her.

"A Matriarch? Impressive! Which clan did you lead?" Asked the voice. Shenzi saw a lion standing at the very front of the assembled animals, with a smile on his face. She frowned.

"Uhh…. The one formerly of the Pridelands area." She answered.

"Oh…. You're Shenzi then, aren't you?" Asked the lion, as his happy expression soured a bit. But not unkindly. He turned back towards the assembled cloud creatures, and motioned them to leave. With a few loud whooshes, almost of all the animals had disappeared, except for the lion, and a female hyena who stood next to him. Shenzi stood expectantly.

"Hello Shenzi. I've been watching you as of late." Said the hyena, as her form hardened, and she stepped forward onto the hill, no longer made of clouds. The lion did the same, so Shenzi was faced with a lion and a hyena.

"You've been watching me, huh? And what's your unwanted appraisal of my life?" Replied Shenzi, sarcastically. The lion shifted his stance a bit.

"Perhaps unwanted, but unnecessary. Actually, I need you to tell me something." Replied the hyena.

"And what might that be?" Asked Shenzi.

"How did you die?" Asked the hyena.

"And why might that be relevant to you?" Demanded Shenzi, growing suspicious of the random hyena and lion.

"Shenzi, as I said, I have been watching you for a while now. I am what you might call… A _representative_ of our species, the hyenas. As Mhandisi here is a representative of the lions." The hyena gestured at the lion next to her. The lion nodded, smiling.

"And what's your name then?" Asked Shenzi, looking at the hyena.

"Ura. I was a Matriarch myself, hundreds of years ago." Replied Ura. "And as you of course know, it isn't an easy job."

Shenzi snorted. "Not an easy job? Why, what did you have to do, sit around in a lush paradise, while herds lollygagged through your lands?"

"What we did in life is hardly relevant, it happened so long ago." Answered Mhandisi. "However, if you would in fact like to know, her clan, and my pride, were locked in bitter combat, over a scorched, dry piece of land in the desert. The area was called bladespire, and the battle was mostly centered around two megaltih structures, whose origins we never really found out. They were like giant triangles. There had recently been a flood larger than anything we had seen before, and we took refuge atop the structures, along with every other animal in the area. Being on top of the pyramids allowed us, and many other animals, to survive the flood. Once the waters cleared, some of us left bladespire, and struck out to find a new home. However, some creatures did stay. Anyways, lions and hyenas, after months of searching, found the pridelands, and there we created our home. Nearly all other animals, from cheetahs to wildebeest, came with us. Over time, we spread out across the new world, but the Pridelands were the beginning. So you see, I and Ura are the eldest of the Pridelands, and so we serve as the representatives to our respective species." Explained Mhandisi.

"Is that an origin story?" Asked Shenzi, unsure whether or not she had absorbed any of that.

"You could call it that. It is after all, our origins. But you Shenzi, are the last remnant of our relationship between lions and hyenas in the Pridelands. I suppose it had to happen eventually, one race kicking out the other, but it did last a few hundred years. Anyways, that made you interesting. And so, he and I watched what happened to you. And before we continue, I must say…. You certainly didn't have it easy." Said Ura.

"I didn't have it easy? Well, you suck. That statement is as obvious as statements get! I was fucking blinded, crippled, and then, when things started to get better, Scar had to fucking go ahead, and screw everything up! And now, I'm dead. So no, I didn't have it easy." Said Shenzi, summoning as much sarcasm as she muster.

"Perhaps not. But that is what heaven is all about. The reward for suffering." Replied Mhandisi.

"Oh yeah? And what about punishment? Just back there, I saw Ahadi, the biggest douchebag in history! And now, he's here, never paying for his crimes? What the fuck is that about?" Blustered Shenzi.

"Shenzi, everyone gets what they deserve. Ahadi didn't get off scot free. Follow us." Said Ura, as she and the lion turned around, and walked down the hill. Shrugging her shoulders, Shenzi followed.

Ura and Mhandisi walked through the soft grass, with Shenzi behind. And Shenzi was rather confused. So apparently, these animals were the first Pridelanders?

Wierd.

"So, uh…. Where we going, anyways?" Asked Shenzi, as she trotted up next to Ura.

"You asked us what the punishments were. We'll show you." Replied Ura.

"You're not going to…. Punish me, are you?" Said Shenzi.

"Oh of course not. You're not a wrongdoer. Now, doing wrong is relative, and what an animal does to survive may prove morally questionable, but nonetheless, we tend to classify wrongdoing as an evil act done without remorse or any manner of reasonable vengeance. It's a little more complicated than that, but don't worry, you aren't in trouble." Said Mhandisi.

"Well…. Umm…. That's good to know, I guess." Conceded Shenzi.

"Indeed. No one likes to feel pain, that's what the punishments are. Now, down here." Said Mhandisi, as he turned sharply into a little cave leading down below ground. Shenzi cocked her eyebrow, unsure whether or not she should enter an ominous hole in the ground, where punishments apparently took place. But if Mhandisi and Ura were going down there, how dangerous could it be?

She walked into the cave, following the tunnel down into the depths. It got rather dark, but no matter how deep they went, there was just enough light for them to be able to see. That was probably a quirk of the afterlife.

"How far is this place?" She asked, as they walked through a smaller part of the tunnel. Mhandisi had to crouch.

"Just a little bit further. Another minute or so." Replied Ura. And she was right. They turned left, and suddenly the area opened up into a gigantic cavern, lit from an unseen source.

"Holy cow. How big is this?" Said Shenzi, as she tried to stare at the edge. It went on as far as she could see, disappearing into the darkness.

"This is only a small fraction of our afterlife. There are many entrances down here, but the only attraction are those holes." Said Mhandisi, as he gestured towards the expansive pits that Shenzi only had just realized were there. Indeed, there were holes covering the floor, and all of them were at least a few feet wide.

"What are the pits for then?" She asked.

"Go up to one, and look down. It'll become clear." Answered Ura. Shenzi approached the nearest one, and peeked over the edge.

Immediately, she heard a scream of pain, and rage. She jerked back her head, caught by surprise.

"What the fuck was that?" She said, turning back to Ura.

"What you heard was the cry of a depraved soul, who couldn't keep his darker side in check. That particular one is actually a leopard, called Makucha." Explained Mhandisi.

"Yeah? And what did he do?" Asked Shenzi.

"He committed murder, ended up killing his own cubs. Not a very pleasant sort." Said Ura.

"So…. All of these holes have an evil creature in them, suffering?" Said Shenzi.

"No, currently, many of these holes are empty. They are dark stars, as black as it gets. There are very few permanent residents. It would be unfair for many to suffer for all of eternity, so what happens to most is that there are days off. If their crimes were of lesser consequence, they may only get a week during a moon cycle in these dark stars." Said Mhandisi.

"And Ahadi's punishment….?"

"One week off. The rest of the month is spent in a dark star. He truly loved most of his family, but what he did to his other cub, Taka, was wholly unforgivable. And as such, he reaped that reward." Explained Ura.

"Ah, nice. It's good to know he got something, that dirty bastard." Muttered Shenzi, feeling somewhat elated. "So, this hole here is empty because the animal is not up for his turn?" Asked Shenzi, as she approached another hole, one that she could see the bottom of.

"Actually….. That one is rather difficult. There is supposed to be an lion in it, but somehow…. He escaped. It happens every so often, someone is able to escape it, and leave the afterlife in the form of a spirit. They're what are called nightmares. That particular hole belonged to Uraziel, a lion who killed both his parents, and…. Did things….to his sister. Very, very unpleasant. His stay would have been permanent." Said Mhandisi.

"How did he escape?" Asked Shenzi.

"No one knows. If we did, we would be able to plug the holes they leave through. But the occurrence is rare enough that we don't need to worry about it too much." Replied Ura.

"Now then, we've answered your question, so please answer ours. How exactly did you die?" Said Mhandisi.

"Yes. As I said, I have been watching you, and you were supposed to survive the ordeal. I am simply curious as to why you did not. What did I miss?" Added Ura.

"Why do you want to know how I died?" Asked Shenzi.

"Curiosity." Replied Mhandisi.

"And if I say I don't want to answer you?"

"Then it would be unfortunate." Answered Ura.

"Is that a threat?" Snarled Shenzi, as she glanced towards one of the pits.

"No, I can assure you, there is no threat being made." Said Mhandisi, acrong rather genial.

"Oh yeah, there is no threat, you and your smug face. Well, fuck you. All there is to how I died is that my mother killed me during a dream when I asked her for help. Are you happy now?" Shenzi said.

Both Ura's and Mhandisi's eyes widened.

"Hatari! Why did she do that! She knows it's not appropriate!" Muttered Ura, as she waved her paw, and with a little whoosh, Hatari appeared next to Shenzi.

"Shenzi! I found you! There you are, I've been looking for you!" Exclaimed Hatari, when she realized her daughter was standing next to her.

"Hatari! Tell us, did you really take her soul out of her body!" Yelled Ura, looking put off.

Hatari coughed into her paw.

"I guess I might have…." She replied tentatively.

"You know you're not supposed to do that! Shenzi's time wasn't done yet!" Said Mhandisi.

"What do you mean, not done yet?" Blurted Shenzi, suddenly extremely interested in the conversation.

"It doesn't matter, we've got to put you back!" Said Ura, and she waved her paw. Shenzi felt herself get dizzy, and before she lost consciousness, she heard her mother whisper something into her ear.

"My one last gift to you…"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Scar's POV

Scar shifted the dirt aside, completing the hole. He had dug the grave in the clearing, next to his cubs. He figured it would be the best spot, putting her in a special place. Hopefully, it would be some sort of recompense for his horrible mistake.

"Is the grave done yet?" Asked Nafasi, her voice sounding strained.

"Yes, it's done. Now all we have to do is to go get the body." Replied Scar, as he walked over to Nafasi.

"Okay then…. Okay, let's do that." Said Nafasi, as she turned around and began to walk back towards the beach. Scar followed her from behind slowly, since she herself was going slowly. In fact, she sounded short of breath….

"Are you alright?" He asked trotting up next to her.

"Fine…. I'm fine. Just keep going." She replied, not meeting his eyes. Scar nodded, and the two of them continued through the forest. As they walked out onto the beach, Nafasi suddenly started moaning.

"Nafasi! What is it?" He asked worriedly, as she grimaced.

"Scar! I think it's….. I think it's starting to come!" Gasped Nafasi, as she collapsed onto the sand, grimacing.

"The cub! The cub is coming now?!" Exclaimed Scar, caught completely off guard.

"Yes!" Gasped Nafasi, digging her claws into the sand.

"Well… Uh…. Ummm… What do I do?" Stuttered Scar.

"Go get….. Go get the herb for pain!" She replied, grimacing.

"Right!" Said Scar, as he turned around and ran down the beach.

Nafasi was having the cub!

He had to hurry, he had to be fast! He couldn't let her down! If there was any chance for the cub to make it, he had to hurry!

Scar bounded down the beach, running to the spot he knew held the herb he seeked. This herb could dull pain, and made the birthing process significantly easier, according to Nafasi. And since she was the one who had given birth three times previously, she probably knew what she was talking about.

Scar skidded to a stop, searching the forest edge. It had to be here somewhere! He took a sniff in the air, hoping to catch the scent of the plant.

Instead, he felt his heart jump into throat.

He knew that scent, he knew it too well.

Hyenas.

Lots of them.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()())()()())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

 **The hyenas are on their way! And right as they chose to do so, Nafasi goes into labor. Heh heh heh, timing.**

 **Leave a review!**

 **Also, I know nothing of how lion pregnancies work, so bear with me in upcoming chapters.**


	14. Revelation and Threat

**I'm back at this fanfic deal! Man, I love writing these! Anyhow, this a sequel to two of my stories, 'Scars of Redemption, and 'One Last Try.' The events of both shall be explored further here. But if you didn't read any of them, it doesn't matter, because anything relevant shall be explained.**

 **If you see this: ()()()()()()()() it means the POV is changing. Don't worry, I'll say to whose POV it's changing to. Fun facts: Shenzi's name means pagan or uncouth, Banzai's name means to lurk, Ed's name means…. Well…. Ed, Macho's name (pronounced Maco, don't pronounce the ch sound) means vigilant or loyal, and Nafasi's name means chance. All these are in swahili.**

 **Well, on with the fanfic! And please, do leave this humble author a review.**

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Fahama's POV

Fahama watched on, sitting next to the hyenas, as Banzai prepared to address those present. He was scowling, with the rest of the hyenas sitting quietly and waiting patiently. Fahama herself was frowning, and she could see uncertainty in the eyes of the hyenas next to her. Banzai cleared his throat.

"A few days ago, Shenzi was captured by lions. They promptly began to torture her. And last night…... they _killed her."_

Gasps of surprise, and despair rippled through the hyenas. Even Fahama flinched at his words, despite knowing what he was going to say. The awful truth was just too terrible to think about, to acknowledge.

Banzai continued to speak.

"The lions in question are living just down this river. There are only two of them, and twenty of us. Before we decide on the next matriarch, we are going to _kill_ those lions, we're going to cut them open, and spread their dammed entrails across this beach. We're going to hurt them, and claw their eyes out. We're going to make them _suffer_ for what they did to Shenzi!" Yelled Banzai, growling in anger. Fahama bared her teeth, letting her emotions take over.

Glancing to the side, a lot of other hyenas had unsheathed their claws, and all of them looked angry. Their Matriarch had been killed, and with Banzai's speech, they were ready for revenge. All their lives, they had been downtrodden by lions, spat upon, and been forced to live in the worst of conditioning only so the lions might have the best all to themselves. But now, they could fight back.

"Right then. Follow me!" Barked Banzai, as he turned, and began to walk down the beach. The hyenas got up, and they fell in line behind him, claws extended and teeth bared.

Fahama saw Banzai grin, a red glint in his eyes.

()()()()()()()()())()()()())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(()()

Scar's POV

Scar breathed in again, searching for the scent. He wasn't wrong. He smelled hyenas, and a lot of them. The different ones mingled with each other, so it was hard to tell how many exactly, but at least a dozen. Perhaps more.

And that was already too many for him to handle.

Scar ran back down the beach, his paws hitting the sand as he sprinted back to the den. He was not going to wait around for the hyenas to come him, not a chance. Most likely, they were here to exact revenge, that hyena had seen Shenzi in pain. He had to get back to Nafasi!

Oh, why did this have to happen now? Why now, why now, why now? Nafasi was giving birth, and this had to happen? What was he going to do? What could he even do? Nafasi couldn't run in her condition! And the birthing process could take up to two hours!

Oh, what was he going to do?

"Nafasi! Nafasi!" He cried, as he arrived at the den.

Nafasi was lying down with her claws dug into the sand.

"Oh god, this always sucks!…. Have you got the herbs?" She panted, clenching her teeth together.

"No, I didn't get it… But Nafasi! There's a problem…"

"Problem? …..You don't have...a problem, I have a problem!... Why didn't you get that herb?" She demanded, breathing heavily as she strained.

"Nafasi, there are hyenas, coming this way!" He said, trying to keep himself calm, not altogether successfully.

"Wha?... Hyenas?" She gasped.

"Yes! And I don't think they're friendly! Nafasi, you have to hide, they can't find you like this! Not now!" He said. Nafasi shut her eyes in concentration.

"I'll go… I'll go inside the den…. That's probably…. The best we can do. Help me…. Help me get there." She said, in between breaths. Scar put his shoulder underneath Nafasi's leg, and together, they walked toward the den. Nafasi could only move a few inches at a time, it was a very delicate position. After a few pained minutes, which Scar spent glancing fearfully over his back, Nafasi collapsed back onto the ground.

"Is that good enough?" He asked, putting his law on her shoulder.

"It's fine….. It's fine…. oh god, it doesn't want to move! Why the fuck…. Doesn't it want to move!" She groaned, dragging her claws across the stone.

"Then push." Suggested Scar.

"I am pushing!" She snapped. Scar stepped back a bit.

"Well then…. I'm going to distract the hyenas. And there is a chance that perhaps they aren't hostile." He said, as he turned to go. "Stay safe, Nafasi." He called back.

"You…..too." She replied.

Scar frowned, suddenly seized by intense worry, and a desire to stay with Nafasi to comfort her. Nafasi would be fine… Wouldn't she?

Yes….. Of course she would. He would never let anything bad happen to her.

Before he could change his mind, Scar hurried back down the beach whence he came from. He didn't look back, he could not dare to. His paws pounded against the sand, and made his way to the scent of the hyenas. They were near, very near. His heart pounded, hoping against hope that perhaps the hyenas were not hostile. A slim hope, but it never hurt to hope.

Then, as he ran forward, out of the morning mist there appeared a large contingent of hyenas.

Scar skidded to a stop.

The hyenas all stopped, and stared at Scar, eyes wide, with many of them jaws agape.

And right in front of Scar, stood Banzai.

"Banzai! Uh, listen-"

" _You_ …." Whispered Banzai, as he stared at Scar. His expression was one of disbelief.

"Banzai, before you react, I have to tell you something-"

"It was _you_." Said Banzai, louder this time. His expression hardened, and he growled.

"Please Banzai, listen, you don't understand-"

"Don't understand what Scar? Do I not understand what you did? Do I not understand how you _hurt_ her? Do I not understand how you _killed_ her?!" Screamed Banzai, rage contorting his features.

"I never meant to do so!" Pleaded Scar, as he nervously cast his gaze at the hyenas. Almost all of them were recovering from the shock, and were growling at him. Not good, not good at all.

"Oh, you never meant to do so? Please then, explain to me how you didn't mean to _cut_ _her open,_ how you didn't mean to _torture_ her! I saw what the damage was! That was no accident, that was deliberate murder!" Said Banzai, his teeth bared.

"Banzai, if you would let me explain, it's going to make sense, just give me a chance to do so." Asked Scar.

"No. Why would I let you explain anything? We both know how you work. You're all about words, tricking animals with that silver tongue of yours- well guess what. We've learned our lesson. We know never to trust you." Growled Banzai, as he stepped forward towards Scar.

"You must believe me, there is an explanation for it!" Said Scar, as he took a fearful step back.

"Oh yeah? And what is it, temporary insanity? You can't explain away her death." Said Banzai, his eyes glinting with malice. Scar started to sweat, completely unsure of what he was supposed to do.

"Well, err…. Yes?" Replied Scar, his voice rather small. Banzai laughed, the horrible sound of hyena laughter echoing across the river. It sent a shiver down Scar's bones, the horrible prospect of what was about to happen was made even more real by it.

"You killed Shenzi Scar. I don't know how you got here, or how you're still alive, but none of that matters. _You killed Shenzi. You killed her! She was my friend! And you killed her!"_ Screamed Banzai, his rage taking

"Goodbye." Muttered Scar, as he turned around, and jumped into the forest, running as fast as he could through the trees.

" _Kill him!_ " Shouted Banzai, as Scar heard the rest of the hyenas giving pursuit, jumping into the forest to follow.

What was he supposed to do now?

()()()()()()()()()()()()()(()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(()()()()()

Nafasi's POV

Nafasi strained, grinding her teeth together in an attempt to dull the pain.

She hated this part, she absolutely hated it. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she was a much smaller lioness than normal, but it always took forever for the cub to be pushed out. And it absolutely hurt all the way.

"Oh… god!" She screamed, as she dug her claws into the stone. She was doing her best not to make too much noise, but at this point, she hardly cared. All that mattered was getting the cub out!

Why the fuck did they have to be born like this anyways? She thought to herself, for the fifth time that hour. It was true, really. Why did birthing have to be so painful!?

She was breathing hard, little cries of agony escaping from her every couple of seconds. Oh… It hurt, it hurt, it hurt!

"Well then…. What do we have here?" Came a sneering voice from beside her.

Then, she felt that someone put their claws up against her neck, digging into her throat ever so slightly.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(

 **Nafasi is in trouble…..**

 **Leave a review then, I suppose, that's all I gotta say.**


	15. Anger and The End

**I'm back at this fanfic deal! Man, I love writing these! Anyhow, this a sequel to two of my stories, 'Scars of Redemption, and 'One Last Try.' The events of both shall be explored further here. But if you didn't read any of them, it doesn't matter, because anything relevant shall be explained.**

 **If you see this: ()()()()()()()() it means the POV is changing. Don't worry, I'll say to whose POV it's changing to. Fun facts: Shenzi's name means pagan or uncouth, Banzai's name means to lurk, Ed's name means…. Well…. Ed, Macho's name (pronounced Maco, don't pronounce the ch sound) means vigilant or loyal, and Nafasi's name means chance. All these are in swahili.**

 **Well, on with the fanfic! And please, do leave this humble author a review.**

 **Also, this is the finale! So enjoy the last chapter! And most definitely leave a review for the last chapter, to tell me what you thought.**

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Shenzi's POV

Shenzi groaned, and sat up.

The last thing she remembered was standing in a cave, filled with pits that housed the damned. There was a lion, called Mhandisi, and a hyena, called Ura. Her mother had been there too, and they had said that Hatari had done something wrong. Something that involved Shenzi…. And then Ura had waved her paw, and she had blacked out.

And now….

She could see.

Shenzi raised her paw in front of her muzzle, examining it.

She could _see_.

She had nearly forgotten what her own paws were colored. She never checked during dreams, where one could never be certain of what was real.

She had nearly forgotten how long her claws were, she had nearly forgotten how her black paws contrasted with her gray legs. It looked…. Amazing.

"I can see." She whispered, amazed.

And she was alive.

In the afterlife, she had never paid attention to herself. It all felt like a dream, nothing real. Just something to remind her of the sight she did not have. But this…. This was reality. This was the real world, it was not some dream, where everything looked slightly out of focus, or the afterlife, where everything seemed simply too perfect, and warped. No, this was real, and she could see!

She let out a little laugh of joy, letting her happiness take over. She looked over herself, and saw that she had use of all of her legs again! The cuts on her side were also gone! Hatari had healed her, completely!

She was normal again!

Then, a cry of agony cut the morning silence. Shenzi looked around, soaking in her surroundings with glee. However, the sound alarmed her. Who was in trouble?

"Hello?" She said, keeping her own voice down. If there was trouble, she didn't want to bring it to herself. Then, the cry came again, distinctly female. And it sounded like that someone was in pain.

She was next to a den, a small cave of sorts. And the cries were coming from inside the den. She looked inside, and to her surprise, saw a small lioness, lying on the ground, moaning in pain, for no apparent reason. She cocked her eyebrow, and quietly approached the lioness, so that it did not hear her coming.

She sniffed the air, and she recognized the scent of the lion. It was the same one she had smelled when she met Scar, and the same scent as the one she had smelled when she had been out of it. So…. Perhaps this lioness knew Scar?

And if this lioness knew Scar, she could tell her where Scar was. And Shenzi was practically aching for revenge.

"Well well well…. What do we have here." She said, as she put her claws underneath the lionesses neck, digging into her throat ever so slightly, just to prove threatening.

The lioness gasped, her eyes widening.

"Don't move." Said Shenzi, before the lioness could further react. "Now then…. What are you doing?" Asked Shenzi.

"What am I… Ahhh!... I'm trying… I'm trying to give birth!" Replied the lioness, sounding rather scared. Shenzi frowned, caught a bit off guard by her answer.

"You're in labor? Well, you'll still be able to answer my questions. What's your name?" Asked Shenzi.

"Nafasi! It's… Nafasi." Replied Nafasi, barely getting the words out in between pained gasps.

"All right then Nafasi, do you know a lion that goes by the name of Scar?" Growled Shenzi, despite smelling Scar's scent all over the lioness.

"He's my…. He's my mate!" She replied. Shenzi scowled.

"Your mate, huh? In that case, perhaps you could tell me where he is." Said Shenzi.

"Where he is? I don't… I don't know! I'm not….. sure where he went!" Nafasi replied, her eyes screwed shut in pain.

"You're not sure? Well Nafasi, if you really are his mate, then you can probably recall, from a few days ago, he met a hyena, and he _hurt_ that hyena. And I can tell you, it hurt a _whole awful lot_." She growled.

"You're…. You're Shenzi?!" Exclaimed Nafasi, who turned to look at Shenzi for the first time.

"Yes. I'm _Shenzi_. I'm sure you and Scar both had a laugh over watching me cry in pain. It was real hilarious, I'm sure. But now, I'd like to return that favor." Said Shenzi, scowling.

"Wait! Ahh!... No, he didn't mean to… To-"

"Didn't mean to what? Trying to save your own skin? Well, if you don't tell me where he went, I'm going to tear your throat out. After all, this is about revenge, so why not start with you? Actually, after I kill you, I'm going to cut your stomach open, and take out the cub. I'd call it fairly appropriate revenge, to kill his own cub in front of his eyes!" Sneered Shenzi. The lioness was starting to panic, breathing harder, her emotions nearly impossible to control while she was in the pain of giving birth.

"No!... No, you can't…... do that! It was Scar, Scar, not Taka!" Said Nafasi.

"I know it was Scar." Growled Shenzi. "Tell me where he is….Now!" Shenzi took her other paw, and dug her claws into Nafasi's shoulders, drawing blood.

"Stop! Please…. Stop!" Begged Nafasi, as Shenzi, without remorse, began to drag her claws down Nafasi's shoulders. "He went…. Somewhere upriver! Please, that's aahgh!... All I know!"

Shenzi released Nafasi, and she fell to the ground, moaning from pain. Shenzi flexed her paw, her claws glinting in the morning sunlight. It was an action that did not go unnoticed by Nafasi.

"No! Don't… Don't hurt me!" Begged Nafasi, as she tried to move away from Shenzi.

"And why shouldn't I?" Asked Shenzi, as she moved toward the panicking lioness.

"Scar…. He didn't mean to…. to hurt you! I know he didn't…."

"He didn't mean to crack three of my ribs? He didn't mean to break my leg? He didn't mean to cut my entire side open!" Yelled Shenzi angrily.

"No… Scar… Scar meant to do those things…. Taka… Taka would never have…." Nafasi stopped talking, hunching over to dig her claws into the ground. She screamed, as she tried to push her cub out. After a few seconds, she calmed back down.

"Except that wasn't Taka, you stupid lioness. Taka died years ago, and Scar took his place." Said Shenzi. But she didn't move any further toward Nafasi.

"He… He changed…. He can't always… He just can't always control it!" She said, pleadingly.

"What is that even supposed to mean?" Asked Shenzi.

"Don't you remember… Don't you remember years ago…. Taka…. Was one personality… Scar was the other… He changed… He changed quickly… Don't you remember something like that?" Asked Nafasi, struggling to both hold a conversation and strain with her cub. Shenzi stood there, confused.

Unfortunately, what Nafasi said… Made sense.

Years ago, after Taka had been exiled by Ahadi, Taka had grown a bit distant…. And he became bitter over what had happened to him, over how his father had given him his lasting mark, and had thrown him out of the home he had grown up in. But never, had he acted like Scar did.

And then, about two years later… Uru had died.

Losing his mother had destroyed Taka. He spent all day crying after he heard the terrible news, his cries echoing throughout the Graveyard. They had secretly entered the Pridelands to watch her be buried, and had returned once it was over. Shenzi had felt extremely sorry for Taka, and so did every other hyena who knew him.

That night, once Taka finally managed to fall asleep, Shenzi had gone up to his den, to see how he was doing. She had found him writhing in his sleep, silently screaming, as if his dreams were….. tormenting him somehow.

The next day, when the sun had risen, She, Banzai, and Ed went to see Taka again. But when they met him, he acted fine. When they asked him about Uru, he told them, with a grin, that he _did not care_ about Uru, he had _never_ cared. Why would he worry about his mother? The idea was absurd.

They were surprised, Shenzi most of all. The previous night, Taka had cried onto Shenzi's shoulder, hugging her close for emotional support he desperately needed. And the very next day, he told them he had never once cared for his mother.

He also told them, that they were to call him Scar now, it was to be his true name. A name he would make for himself, for Taka was weak, nothing but a weakling who couldn't control himself, had never asserted himself, or had hungered for the justice he rightly deserved.

After that, their friendship deteriorated, becoming nothing more than colleague and colleague. He treated the hyenas as beneath him, and whatever they had once shared, was now gone.

it was almost as if…. There were two of him.

The change had literally been overnight, within hours. How could such a thing come about like it had? How? Unless somehow, while he slept, all his bitterness, his accumulated hatred had burst forth, bolstered by the horrible pain of losing the lion who had cared the most for him since birth. He could have changed then, perhaps it was possible under such extreme circumstances.

And then, years later, Scar had survived the fires at Pride Rock, and had fled. Perhaps he had met Nafasi right away, but in any case, he clearly fell in love with her. And that new feeling, one he hadn't truly felt for years melted his heart, for he had never found it with Sarafina or Zira, not truly.

"So…. Let's say you're telling the truth, Nafasi. If it truly was Taka, then why did he attack me? Why did he lose his control?" Asked Shenzi.

"If he gets angry… Or…. Upset…. He can't control himself. He simply… He simply was angry when he met you… That's all… That's all it is…" Replied Nafasi

"So it's Taka now? If I talked to him, he would be Taka?"

"Yes!" Moaned Nafasi, her eyes shut tight in pain.

"And he's just down the river?" She asked.

"He went… He went because there….. Other hyenas were there…. I don't know what they're doing… That's all I got…"

"Other hyenas? Really?"

"Yes!" Screamed Nafasi.

"That would be the others…. Fahama hopefully has things under control. But Scar… Taka or not, they aren't going to take kindly to his appearance. Three hyenas against one lion….. Oh no, Banzai!" Shenzi suddenly felt her heart plummet. Banzai was in trouble. If they fought, Scar was more than capable of defending himself.

Then, Nafasi let out a scream louder than the ones before. As Shenzi watched, Nafasi pushed with all her might, doing her best to get it out.

In the morning mist, the screams that had echoed across the river subsided into tranquility.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Scar's POV

" _KILL HIM_!" Roared Banzai, as Scar jumped into the forest. The excited and angry yips of the angry horde behind him reaching his fearful ears. He had to get out of here, he had to run!

He glanced back, and saw the hyenas entering the forest, their grizzly white teeth glinting in the morning sun. He leaped across a bush, his paws hitting the ground as he ran through the trees.

He dodged and weaved between the obstacles, breathing hard. All he had to do was lead them away from Nafasi, she had to be kept safe, especially now. If for whatever reason things didn't go well….

He would never forgive himself.

But first, he had to survive this. To his growing horror, the angry barks of the hyenas we getting louder, as if they were gaining on him. The forest's foliage was forcing him to go slower, and the smaller forms of the hyenas were probably more able to slip through the dense areas.

Then, a female hyena jumped out from beside him, her claws flashing. He skidded to a stop, and dodged the attack. The hyena landed next to him, whipping around to engage him.

"Traitor!" Spat the hyena, as she moved forward. Scar unsheathed his claws, and backed away.

"Stay away!" He growled, very conscious of the other hyenas getting closer. Of course a female had been able to catch up. The hyena then jumped at him, and Scar swiped to the side, batting the hyena to the ground.

Before she could recover, Scar turned around, and continued to run away, digging into the ground with his claws for increased traction. Two male hyenas ran by the female, in pursuit of him. They barked angrily, refusing to be outpaced by Scar.

They increased their speed, until the both of them were side by side next to him. They tried to bite his legs, snapping at him. Fortunately for Scar, they were rather half hearted attempts, neither of the hyenas wanted to get kicked in the head.

Scar suddenly stopped, and swung with his right foreleg. He back-pawed the hyena on the head, causing him to tumble to the ground. The other hyena jumped onto Scar, and Scar rolled to the side, desperately trying to shake it off quickly before it could do any serious damage.

The hyena was flung of his back, and hit a tree in midair. It slumped to the ground, temporarily out cold. Another hyena jumped out of the foliage, taking Scar by surprise, and biting one of his hind legs. Scar let out a roar of pain, and turned around to seize the hyena by the scruff of its neck.

Scar slammed the hyena into a rock, causing it too to collapse in shock. Scar saw the first hyena starting to get up, and the one that had jumped on his back was stirring. Scar sprinted away, glancing back to see even more of his foes emerging from the trees, running at him and helping their comrades up.

At the rate this was going, it wasn't going to end well.

Scar fled as fast as he could, but now one of his hind legs was burning from pain, sapping his energy as he tried to focus. Keeping alive was rather important to him, after all.

Scar then saw a familiar location ahead, a ravine that lead to some small caves underground. If he could hide there, the hyenas might not be able to find him, and perhaps he could formulate some plan to get himself out of this mess. And hopefully Nafasi as well.

He jumped into the ravine, jarring himself as he landed perhaps a bit too hard on the stones. He made his way down the length of the area, trying to keep his breath up. He was beginning to get exhausted, and that did not bode well.

He turned sharply into a cave entrance, disappearing into the darkness. He lied down for a moment, catching his breath. Rest…. Just rest for a moment. Perhaps they wouldn't find him… Perhaps he would get lucky.

"The scents stronger down there!" Yelled a voice, probably female, from somewhere above.

"Did he go into the ravine?" Growled another voice. It sounded like Banzai. Scar swallowed apprehensively.

"It looks that way." Replied the first voice.

"Then get down there! Find him, I want him dead!" Demanded Banzai. Scar was suddenly caught in deliberation. There was a chance they would miss his cave, but eventually, his scent would lead them right to him. And there was hardly any room for maneuvering in the tiny area. He would be slaughtered quickly.

In that case, it was most certainly time to go.

"There he is!" A hyena shouted, as Scar ran out of his cave and further down the ravine, searching for the way up. He did not come here often, he had never seen the use of it before. Now of course, he wished he knew this place better, so that he could escape quickly.

He entered another cave, this one with a tunnel system. His eyes adjusting to the horrid blackness as fast as they could. The laughter of the hyenas echoed behind him, as they entered the cave as well. Fortunately, Scar had a bit of a lead on them, a lead he would lose quickly if he did not do something quickly.

The tunnels branched of multiple times, and Scar sometimes lost valuable time trying to chose which tunnel to take. Hopefully though, he could perhaps lose his assailants in this manner.

He climbed up a few ledges, desperate to keep his pace up. He did not see any hyenas yet, but he could hear them, their laughter resounding around him. The cave's dynamics making it impossible to judge how far behind him they were.

Suddenly, he stopped. Dead end!

He turned around fearfully, checking his rear for attackers. He looked up, and saw that if he could climb up, the tunnel continued onwards. He could escape them!

Then, he felt someone bite his side, and claws digging into his ribcage.

They had caught him by surprise!

Slashing at the hyena, Scar knocked him off. The hyena growled, and circled him, ready to attack. Two more hyenas arrived, coming out of the dark to engage him. Scar backed up fearfully, growling back at them.

The one in the front, a female, jumped at him. Scar tried to raise his paws in time, but he was too slow. Sharp teeth dug into his shoulders, and Scar resisted roaring in pain.

He swatted the hyena away, but another one jumped onto him, slashing his muzzle. He grunted, slashing back at the hyena. Then, the third one bit his hind leg, and Scar spun around to slash him.

As he did so, the female jumped onto his back, and dug her claws into him. He rolled onto his back, desperately trying to get her off. Another hyena arrived, making their numbers four. He felt claws dig through his side yet again, teeth sinking into his tail, and the angry barks of hyena all around him.

No! No, this couldn't be happening!

He was going to die!

Claws and teeth hacked and slashed at his fur, opening cuts and wounds. It was all too familiar with what happened three years ago, the jaws of the hyena, their horrible, horrible laughter, it was just like what had happened at Pride Rock.

Except this time, there was no escaping.

He was going to die!

He was going to die!

 _No_.

 _No_ ….

 _He was not so weak as Taka._

 _He was Scar._

No! He wasn't going to end as Scar, he was Taka, and Scar had no place…

 _Taka was a fool. Taka would have died, but Scar would not fall._

Roaring, Scar slashed the hyena in front of him, putting all his rage into the attack. With a yelp, the hyena collapsed, bleeding all along his muzzle. Sneering, Scar kicked the hyena behind him, knocking it out cold.

The female hyena barked, and jumped back at Scar. Scar reared up and intercepted, cutting her on both shoulders. Another male slashed at his back, and Scar threw the female away from him to engage the male.

He lashed out, cutting the hyenas face. It retreated, whimpering. Scar then quickly made to cut the throat of the one he had knocked out, before it would get back up. Taka would never have dared to finish the job like this. He was much more efficient this way. Efficient and brutal enough to survive.

As he raised his claws, the female hyena, despite being bloodied, rammed him with her shoulders, knocking him away before he could kill the unconscious hyena. Growling angrily, Scar and the female circled each other, waiting for an opening.

Three more hyenas came through the tunnels, following the sounds of the fighting. Scar could hear even more hyenas on the way. If he stayed here, he was doomed. With a grin, Scar jumped up onto the wall, digging his claws into the stone for a paw hold. He scrabbled up the side, heaving himself up into the next tunnel.

Before they could follow, he ran into the darkness, following the tunnel as it slanted up. He burst out from below ground, back in the forest. He did not take the time to breath in the fresh air though. He needed to get back to the river, he could use the current to give him an advantage. His larger form would more easily withstand the river than the smaller hyenas.

He would draw them in, and slaughter them. After that….. Well, he would find something to do.

As he ran through the trees, a hyena took him by surprise, ramming him sideways. Thrown off course, Scar tumbled to the ground, struggling to keep his balance. At that moment, Scar could feel all the different wounds all over his body. He had to be covered in blood, but he wasn't going to worry about that at this moment.

Getting back up quickly, Scar turned towards the hyena who had jumped him.

Banzai stood there, scowling.

"You're not getting away that easily, scumbag." Growled Banzai, taking up an offensive stance.

"Banzai! It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Replied Scar, with a sinister grin on his face.

"Too short, really." Said Banzai, circling Scar.

"Why, no need to be sour. And anyways, what are you doing here alone? Where's that tagalong idiot of yours, Ed? Or your leader, Shenzi?" Taunted Scar. Banzai's scowl only deepened, his eyes flashing red with rage.

"I'm going to make you eat those words, right after I tear your throat out of your neck!" He yelled, furious.

"Well then, try me. You can't take me on by yourself, you know. In fact, I think it's going to be me who does the killing here…" Replied Scar.

"Don't bet on it." Growled Banzai.

"Oh? And why not?" Said Scar, mockingly.

"Because you're going to pay for what you did." Said Banzai, making eye contact with his opponent.

"I've done many things Banzai. And so far, I think I've managed to get away with most of them." Asserted Scar.

"Not anymore. Not this time. This time, we're going to kill you. And once you're dead, you won't be able to hurt anyone anymore." Snarled Banzai.

"You really think so? Well…." Before he finished his sentence, Scar lunged at Banzai, his claws reaching for his throat.

In mid jump, however, three hyenas leaped out from behind Banzai, and intercepted him. All four of them fell to the ground, struggling to get back up.

As Scar got to his feet, he roared at the hyenas, keeping them away. Banzai and the three hyenas growled back at him, and Banzai had a sneer on his face, rather uncharacteristic of him.

However, to Scar's growing trepidation, Banzai's cruel confidence was well founded. All around him, hyenas emerged from the trees, growling with their teeth bared. He was completely surrounded.

"Looks like it's the end of the line." Sneered Banzai. Scar scowled, as he eyed his

"We'll see about that." He muttered.

"Get him!" Yelled Banzai.

On his command, the hyenas jumped at him, and Scar lunged to the side, ramming a whole row of hyenas. In a desperate gambit, Scar made an attempt to run, to break the circle, but some more jumped on him, dragging him down.

Cold claws dug into his sides, and Scar attempted to somersault. He had to get them off him! He wasn't going to fall to these pathetic fools, not now! Not to these damned idiots!

He shook them off, and slashed out in all directions. With a roar, he jumped over the last row, nearly to freedom, away from the horde.

Then, a hyena jumped onto his back, using his claws to clamp on.

Scar slashed back at him, and saw Banzai digging into his sides, holding on.

As if in slow motion, and with a gleam in his eyes, Banzai leaned down, with bit down as hard as he could on Scar's spine.

 _Crack_!

Scar tumbled to the ground, hitting it with a thud.

He tried to get up, to run, but he couldn't. He couldn't move his hind legs. They were….. _Unresponsive_. Why couldn't he move his hind legs? Why couldn't he move them?! _Why couldn't he move them_?!

Banzai got up in front of Scar, and dusted himself off. He turned towards the fallen lion, his sinister grin stretching from ear to ear. The hyenas regrouped, standing behind Banzai. Many of them had cuts and bruises, but all of them were angry. The feeling of panic spread through Scar's chest, as he stared, wide eyed at his enemies.

"Well…. How the mighty have fallen." Taunted Banzai, as he stood in front of Scar.

"No… Don't do it." Said Scar, his voice perhaps a little higher than normal.

"Oh yeah? Show you mercy? I don't think so. You showed Shenzi none, and we're not going to show you any either." Replied Banzai, his teeth bared.

"No!" Growled Scar.

"No? Too bad. We're going to kill you Scar, it's something long overdue. Say, do you fear death? Why? You know not what comes after." Said Banzai.

Scar knew all too well what came after. He would not be damned now, he would not fall to them!

"And after this, we're going to kill your mate. So I guess you'll have a familiar face to look forward to, wherever you're going after this. Hopefully eternal suffering. You don't deserve anything less." Sneered Banzai.

"No… I'm not going to die now!" Muttered Scar, his eyes wide.

"Yes. Yes you are." Said Banzai, as he moved closer. Scar tried to move away, but he knew he could never escape with only his front legs. This was it. This was truly it. Everything he had ever done, all those he had killed or otherwise bumped off…. It was all going to backfire on him now.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Fahama's POV

Banzai approached Scar, who could only stare fearfully at him. This was it. Revenge for the most heinous act she could ever have conceived. Her eyes glued to the proceedings, Banzai raised his paw, his claws glinting in the sunlight that burst through the forest canopy.

She found herself smiling.

Then, a gray form burst out of one of the bushes, and rammed into Banzai hard, sending him tumbling. Fahama gasped, and got into an offensive stance, ready to fight.

Then, she saw who it was.

Shenzi?!

Fahama's jaw dropped, as she took a surprised step back.

What the hell?

That wasn't…. This wasn't possible! Banzai had said that Shenzi was killed…. And she herself had seen the lions doing it! Shenzi was dead! Banzai had said so!

And yet, here she was, standing in front of them.

Shenzi set something down that she had in her mouth, then turned to face Banzai, who stood flabbergasted next to her.

"Hey Banzai." She grinned, her expression a little mischievous.

"She.. Shenzi!" He stuttered, unable to say anything else.

"Hey, don't stand there like a plucked chicken." Said Shenzi, smiling.

"What? Shenzi, how are you here? You're dead! I saw your corpse!" Exclaimed Banzai.

"Don't ask about that part. Just accept that I'm still here." She said reassuringly. Then, she turned towards the rest of the clan. "As for the lot of you, you may stand down for now."

Fahama sat down immediately, along with everyone else, still unsure that what she was seeing was really happening. Shenzi then picked up the little lump she had set down, and turned towards Scar. She walked up to him, and put her package right next to him.

Scar stared at it.

"So… This is yours." She said.

"No… That's not mine… I would never have sired any cubs, little weaklings is all they are… No…" He growled quietly.

"You sure about that? Nafasi sends her regards." Responded Shenzi.

"Nafasi…. That name means nothing to me, nothing at all….. Nafasi is only….." Scar seemed furious, so angry that he was shaking. One of his eyes was twitching. "Nafasi is only….. Nafasi….. Nafasi." Scar then exhaled, his expression softening.

"Say… She was right." Said Shenzi.

Scar stretched out his foreleg, his expression one of intense worry now. He looked questioningly at Shenzi.

"May I?" He asked.

"He is your cub." Replied Shenzi genially.

Scar gently snagged the lump, which squirmed in his grip. It was a lion cub! And very freshly born. Couldn't be very old at all, not more than a few hours. Scar brought in the cub right up next to him, hugging it close. Tears began to to fall down his muzzle, as he caressed the newborn. He looked back at Shenzi.

"Thank you." He whispered. "And…. I'm sorry."

"I'm back the way I was, partly due to you. So in a way, no harm done." Replied Shenzi.

"I really am sorry Shenzi. And I thank you. Thank you….."

As his joyful sobs echoed throughout the trees, a sense of calm took hold of Fahama.

Everything was going to be all right.

Everything was going to be all right.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Some time later….

Kopa launched himself forward, his paws reaching for his quarry. With a squeak, he landed atop the mouse, trapping it between his legs. Nearly squealing with delight, Kopa grabbed the mouse by its tail, and pranced back up the beach.

"Hey Mom! Dad!" He shouted, keeping careful hold of the first mouse he had ever caught.

"What is it Kopa?" Replied Nafasi, coming up to him.

"Look, look! I caught a mouse! Look!" He exclaimed, holding up his catch.

"Really? Wow, that's your first one, isn't it?" Asked Nafasi, smiling proudly down at him.

"Do you think dad will want to see?" He asked, practically bouncing up and down in excitement.

"Of course your dad will want to see! He'll be very happy, but we'll have to wait a minute, he's talking right now."

"Mom? Who's he talking to?" Asked Kopa.

"Well, do you remember Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed?"

"The hyenas? Yeah! They're fun to play with! Are they here?" He wondered.

"They're here, but they'll be leaving soon. If you want to, you can go say goodbye to them."

"Can I? Yay!" Yelled Kopa, as he took off across the sand, the mouse firmly in his mouth. He arrived at the den, and tumbled into it. He got up, and saw four sets of eyes staring at him.

"Hello Kopa." Said Shenzi.

"Hi Shenzi! What are you guys doing here?" He asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.

"They're here because I need to explain a few more things to them. Once I tell them exactly where to go, they'll be leaving." Explained Scar. Ed walked up to Kopa, and licked him.

"Ah! Ed, you know I don't like that!" Exclaimed Kopa. Ed only giggled in response.

"What do you have there?" Asked Scar, gesturing at the mouse at Kopa's feet.

"Oh! Uhhh… I caught a mouse!" Replied Kopa.

"Nice job!" Replied Scar, breaking out into a grin. "That's your first one then!"

"Yeah! And maybe later, I'll be catching fish! Big ones!" Replied Kopa.

"You're rather exuberant." Commented Shenzi, her eyebrow cocked.

"What's exuberant?" Asked Kopa. Suddenly, he noticed something. "Hey Shenzi… Did you eat something big? Cause your stomach is all swollen."

Shenzi and Banzai looked at each other, grinning happily.

"No, I didn't get fat off eating, I'm pregnant." Replied Shenzi.

"What's pregnant?" Asked Kopa.

"It means I'm going to have pups." She replied.

"Like, babies?" Responded Kopa, confused.

"Don't worry about it Kopa." Said Scar, smiling. "Now, congratulations on your first mouse. But if you could leave us alone, I have a few things to get done with our guests."

"Umm… Okay!" Replied the little cub, as he bounded out of the den.

Maybe now, he would ask his mom on how to catch a fish!

()()()()()(()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

 **LEAVE A REVIEW**

 **And that's another story done! Also, it turned out to be fifteen chapters, so that's kinda cool. Anyways, it feels good to have finished a story. This one took fooorrrrreeevvveerrrrr. I hoped you all liked it.**

 **Anyways, now that we're done, leave a review! Preferably one that answers the following questions….. *ahem***

 **1\. Did you like the story? (I mean, obviously you did, since you're reading this, but give it a something out of ten, I guess)**

 **2\. Do you think I got Scar right? (Insofar as creating a good Taka personality)**

 **3\. Did I write the story well? (Like, grammar and such)**

 **4\. Who here ships Shenzi and Banzai?**

 **Also, if any of you have questions about my rather unclear ending(done that way on purpose) just ask it in the review, and I'll answer it.**

 **Well, God bless you all!**


End file.
